A review by mariebrunelm
Passing by Nella Larsen

reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This thought-provoking little classic holds a punch. Our two protagonists are Black women who grew up together before growing apart, reunited in 1927 Chicago, more than ten years later and catching up. Both are light-skin Black, but while Irene married a Black man and lives within the Black community, Clare passes as white, married a white man and lives in the white community.
As the title suggests, this novel explores the concept of passing through the experiences of these two women. It is a fascinating insight into life in the 1920s for the Black community, and an excellent character study as well. Nella Larsen confronts those characters in a series of encounters, making the plot rather minimal, so I won’t say more about it. The prose is easy to read and helps make this a book to put in every hand.
In 2020, Brit Bennett recently released a novel that was a contemporary companion to Passing, entitled The Vanishing Half. I haven’t read it but have heard good things about it.
PS: there is no word in French that comes close to a translation for the concept of “passing”. The translation has had two different titles, “Passer la ligne” (“crossing the line”) and “Clair-obscur” (“chiaroscuro”).
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