Passing
Nella Larsen
09 July 2020
9781529040296Synopsis
As dramatized on Radio 4 and seen on Netflix, Nella Larsen’s Passing is a distinctive and revealing novel about racial identity, and a key text of the Harlem Renaissance.
Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection. This edition of Passing features an introduction by writer and academic, Christa Holm Vogelius.
1920s Harlem, New York. Irene Redfield enjoys a comfortable life, married to a successful physician. After receiving a letter, she reluctantly renews her friendship with old classmate Clare Kendry. Both are light-skinned black women but, passing as white, Clare is married to a racist white man who has no idea about her racial heritage. Despite her misgivings, Irene cannot resist allowing Clare back into her life. As their lives become more intertwined, tensions mount between friends and partners and this taut, mesmerizing narrative spins towards its devastating conclusion.
A fascinating inquiry into the nature of race (and a window into the Harlem Renaissance) catalyzed by a chance meeting between two childhood friends. A page-turning classic.Jennifer Egan
A tragic story rooted in inescapable facts of American life . . . Passing is the work of a highly talented and thoughtful writerRichard Bernstein, The New York Times
A short, easy, engaging read . . . as much as it is a revealing cultural study of the 1920s, is also incredibly relevant today.Lexi Nisita, Refinery 29
