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Passing
The classic 1920s story of a friendship torn apart by racism,
Passing
is Nella Larsen's devastating masterpieceTwo childhood friends reconnect later in life. One, slightly more light-skinned than the other, lives her life passing for a white person, married to a flagrant racist while her friend observes uneasily.BRIEF classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savored over days
- GenresClassics
160 pages, Paperback
Published October 27, 2026
About the author
Nella Larsen
46 books712 followersNellallitea 'Nella' Larsen (first called Nellie Walker) was an American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance who wrote two novels and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, what she wrote earned her recognition by her contemporaries and by present-day critics.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2026
(I use the language of the novel to describe skin colors in my review.)
A reader who picks up PASSING by Nella Larsen needs some understanding of its historical context. It is the 1920s, segregation a reality, and the story moves between Southern Chicago and Northern New York, two opposites in the racial-question spectrum. At its center are two light-skinned colored women. Both practice “passing,” meaning that they present themselves as white to escape racial prejudice and gain access to greater comfort and security. The question is how far each of them is willing to go in her passing.
PASSING begins with Irene Redfield sitting in a café at the Dayton Hotel in Chicago. Because of her light skin, she is assumed to be white, although she has never actually claimed to be white. Irene is an active member of upper-middle-class Black society in Harlem, New York. She is married to a Black man and has two sons. Sitting in the café, Irene reflects on how differently the waiters and other patrons would treat her if they discovered that she was actually colored. Then she notices a vaguely familiar woman who sits down at a nearby table. The woman recognizes Irene as well. It turns out to be her childhood friend, Clare Kendry, who has been passing as white since her teenage years, after leaving Chicago to live with her white aunts. At eighteen, Clare married a white man without ever telling him the truth about her racial background. They have a daughter, who was also born with light skin. Clare has cut all ties with the Black community. Her life must be filled with the constant fear of being exposed, Irene thinks. And yet Clare persuades Irene to visit her at home.
By the time Clare meets Irene, she is exhausted from hiding the truth. She dances on a knife’s edge by inviting Gertrude, another childhood friend, and Irene into her home while her aggressively racist husband is there. Later, whenever he is away, she repeatedly attends gatherings in Harlem. Nella Larsen shows the price tag of “passing”: while Clare gains a certain degree of freedom, that freedom costs her the support of the Black community and a connection to her own racial identity. Her life becomes a series of compromises. Most disturbing of all, and largely outside the frame of the novel, is that she also risks sacrificing her daughter, whose future could become deeply uncertain if Clare’s deception were ever exposed.
Irene's inner dialogue makes up at least half of the 120-page book. We see every situation through her perspective. Her judgments are clouded by emotions that shift in rapid succession, making her an unreliable narrator. This becomes especially important toward the end, when her perception of events grows increasingly uncertain and distorted. Larsen leaves the reader to decide how much of Irene's interpretation can actually be trusted.
A reader who picks up PASSING by Nella Larsen needs some understanding of its historical context. It is the 1920s, segregation a reality, and the story moves between Southern Chicago and Northern New York, two opposites in the racial-question spectrum. At its center are two light-skinned colored women. Both practice “passing,” meaning that they present themselves as white to escape racial prejudice and gain access to greater comfort and security. The question is how far each of them is willing to go in her passing.
PASSING begins with Irene Redfield sitting in a café at the Dayton Hotel in Chicago. Because of her light skin, she is assumed to be white, although she has never actually claimed to be white. Irene is an active member of upper-middle-class Black society in Harlem, New York. She is married to a Black man and has two sons. Sitting in the café, Irene reflects on how differently the waiters and other patrons would treat her if they discovered that she was actually colored. Then she notices a vaguely familiar woman who sits down at a nearby table. The woman recognizes Irene as well. It turns out to be her childhood friend, Clare Kendry, who has been passing as white since her teenage years, after leaving Chicago to live with her white aunts. At eighteen, Clare married a white man without ever telling him the truth about her racial background. They have a daughter, who was also born with light skin. Clare has cut all ties with the Black community. Her life must be filled with the constant fear of being exposed, Irene thinks. And yet Clare persuades Irene to visit her at home.
By the time Clare meets Irene, she is exhausted from hiding the truth. She dances on a knife’s edge by inviting Gertrude, another childhood friend, and Irene into her home while her aggressively racist husband is there. Later, whenever he is away, she repeatedly attends gatherings in Harlem. Nella Larsen shows the price tag of “passing”: while Clare gains a certain degree of freedom, that freedom costs her the support of the Black community and a connection to her own racial identity. Her life becomes a series of compromises. Most disturbing of all, and largely outside the frame of the novel, is that she also risks sacrificing her daughter, whose future could become deeply uncertain if Clare’s deception were ever exposed.
Irene's inner dialogue makes up at least half of the 120-page book. We see every situation through her perspective. Her judgments are clouded by emotions that shift in rapid succession, making her an unreliable narrator. This becomes especially important toward the end, when her perception of events grows increasingly uncertain and distorted. Larsen leaves the reader to decide how much of Irene's interpretation can actually be trusted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
I picked up this book from a Black History Month display at the library. It is a short story with a punch. "Passing" describes passing as a member of, and being accepted by, a different ethnicity from one's own. While racial identity dominates the writing, it also affirms the need for self-assurance, as shown through the main character, Irene Redfield.
I enjoyed this book.
I can't wait to read Nella Larsen's other novel, "Quicksand".
I enjoyed this book.
I can't wait to read Nella Larsen's other novel, "Quicksand".
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews