meganeuridae 's review for:

Passing by Nella Larsen

5.0

emotional sad tense

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i REALLY enjoyed this book but i don’t think i can say anything about it that hasn’t been said. not always the criteria for a book review, but knowing the breadth of knowledge available on this book specifically it would make my uninformed opinion feel a bit lacking. that being said i will state it anyway. 

i liked the prose. the ending shocked me so terribly it eclipsed my view of the book as a whole for a bit – and in a way it still does, with how it re-framed the entire novel for me. i feel a little embarrassed to say i “fell” for the unreliable narrator in irene; not that i dislike her now, but i could empathize with her desire for safety and control in a way that made me sort of downplay the unsavory ways in which this desire manifested itself – it’s an uneasy reflection. i don’t even know how to approach clare. it’s tempting to say she ruined irene’s life, but i also feel like it was bound to collapse at some point – clare gallivanting into it only sped up the process. she is a mystery to us and irene and tragically that is all she can be. their relationship is incredibly fascinating & this book definitely left its mark on my brain.