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A review by alexhelme
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I picked this up from the library because I was in the mood for urban fantasy and the concept and world sounded really cool and discovered after I’d begun reading that this is the author of my favorite childhood book, ‘The Green Glass Sea’!
Unfortunately I think the concept of this book is better than the actual execution. Often the book feels more like an ambient vessel for researched historical facts about queer women in San Francisco in the ‘40 with very little plot until the last 30 pages. While a lot of that info is interesting, most of the times it came up it felt a little forced. That being said when there is plot I was interested because the characters and the world were endearing.
I also felt uncomfortable with how the author chose to depict racism, specifically towards the character of Helen. In reading an interview it seems she intentionally wanted each women to hold an identity that marginalized them in some way from the world they lived in, which when written by a white woman, made Helen’s ethnicity and experience feel like a plot device and an excuse to, again, just bring up historical facts in a very ‘tell don’t show’ manner. Not to mention that Helen seems to have no issue with being assumed to be Chinese, despite being Japanese and with not much connection to that heritage, and is written to throw around slurs when describing her experiences with racism in San Francisco at the time, which just felt strange since she was written to do so by a white person for whom that experience seems to have been “research”. It disappointed me because while that identity could have been a really interesting aspect of her character it ended up making her feel ultimately like a vehicle for shocking ‘fun facts’ about racism. But, as a disclaimer, I am also a white woman, so I’m also reading from a limited perspective.
But yeah, it’s sapphic and magical too. And again, the concept of a bunch of queer women in the 40s exploring life and magic in a beautiful city while dealing with their collective and separate marginalizations sounds COOL. This just didn’t quite deliver. I also feel like it would maybe make a better movie to be honest.
Unfortunately I think the concept of this book is better than the actual execution. Often the book feels more like an ambient vessel for researched historical facts about queer women in San Francisco in the ‘40 with very little plot until the last 30 pages. While a lot of that info is interesting, most of the times it came up it felt a little forced. That being said when there is plot I was interested because the characters and the world were endearing.
I also felt uncomfortable with how the author chose to depict racism, specifically towards the character of Helen. In reading an interview it seems she intentionally wanted each women to hold an identity that marginalized them in some way from the world they lived in, which when written by a white woman, made Helen’s ethnicity and experience feel like a plot device and an excuse to, again, just bring up historical facts in a very ‘tell don’t show’ manner. Not to mention that Helen seems to have no issue with being assumed to be Chinese, despite being Japanese and with not much connection to that heritage, and is written to throw around slurs when describing her experiences with racism in San Francisco at the time, which just felt strange since she was written to do so by a white person for whom that experience seems to have been “research”. It disappointed me because while that identity could have been a really interesting aspect of her character it ended up making her feel ultimately like a vehicle for shocking ‘fun facts’ about racism. But, as a disclaimer, I am also a white woman, so I’m also reading from a limited perspective.
But yeah, it’s sapphic and magical too. And again, the concept of a bunch of queer women in the 40s exploring life and magic in a beautiful city while dealing with their collective and separate marginalizations sounds COOL. This just didn’t quite deliver. I also feel like it would maybe make a better movie to be honest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism