When I was casting around to see what books I had on the TBR which would fit for the #1929Club, I was really pleased to discover that “Passing” by Nella Larsen was published that year. It’s been languishing unread for too long, after I picked it up following rapturous praise on a number of blogs I trust; yet somehow the time was never right for it. However, with our club week, it seemed like I was meant to read the book now – and what a powerful and unforgettable one it is!

Nella Larsen was born of mixed heritage, having a Danish mother and father believed to be a mixed-race Afro-Caribbean. She made a career in nursing, but it seems always felt caught between cultures; despite writing two successful novellas she disappeared from the literary scene after a divorce. She returned to nursing for the rest of her life which, on the basis of this novella, is our loss – Larsen really could write.

“Passing” tells the story of two women of mixed heritage – Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Both are pale skinned and could pass as white – hence the title – and Clare has chosen to trade on that, marrying a rich white man as a way out of her harsh and impoverished background. Irene, however, has stayed in the world of her upbringing, marrying Brian, a doctor, with whom she has two sons. She seems comfortable in her world, but as the book opens she receives a letter from Clare which takes her back to their encounter two years ago…

Chicago. August. A brilliant day, hot, with a brutal staring sun pouring down rays that were like molten rain. A day on which the very outlines of the buildings shuddered as if in protest at the heat. Quivering lines sprang up from baked pavements and wriggled along the shining car tracks. The automobiles parked at the curbs were a dancing blaze, and the glass of the shopwindows threw out a blinding radiance. Sharp particles of dust rose from the burning sidewalks, stinging the seared or dripping skins of wilting pedestrians. What small breeze there was seemed like the breath of a flame fanned by slow bellows.

In Chicago, the two women accidentally meet, years after their childhood together, growing up in the same neighbourhood. Irene seems calm and self assured, yet she’s wrong-footed by Clare; the latter has an edge, flirting with danger (and, actually, just about everyone she talks to), and the social engagements Irene has with Clare leave her determined she never wants to see her old friend again. For Clare really is playing with fire, as her husband Jack Bellew is an outspoken racist, happily expressing his disgust for anyone of colour, and in the most offensive terms. Frighteningly, he even has the nickname “Nig” for his wife Clare, although he has no idea of her mixed background.

As the story moves into its second section, we discover more of Irene’s life, and it seems that she is living in just as precarious a fashion, although for different reasons. Husband Brian is something of an enigma, itching for a change in life and location, and it takes all Irene’s wiles to control him. Then Clare re-appears – and the effects for all will be devastating…

I won’t say more about the plot because for a novella, “Passing” really packs in so much! Larsen’s writing is excellent and she captures her characters quite brilliantly. The gradual exploration of both women’s characters had me adjusting my view of them both as I went on; each in their different way living in a constructed world which couldn’t last. The tension builds to a dramatic climax, which completely took me by surprise; and the ending, perhaps a little nebulous, certainly left me wondering how the characters would pick up the threads of their lives again.

As well as being a story about race, “Passing” also seems to me to be more widely about the faces we present in public, the image we create of our lives, and the secrets we keep behind closed doors. The racial element is powerful – Bellew’s vile outpourings are crude and offensive; and the tension between white and black environments is something which Irene wants to shelter her children from, with her husband thinking they need to know the realities. In the end, both women are living a kind of lie, albeit different ones, and the collision of their two lives causes havoc.

“Passing” was a memorable book, one I’m glad I finally picked up, and one which will stay with me. Larsen was no doubt writing from experience, coming from that mixed background herself, and there is a strong ring of authenticity to her story. I would like to hope that we’ve moved on from the kind of intolerance shown in the book, but alas I feel that we haven’t. “Passing” is a reminder of where lack of empathy between human beings can lead, as well as a powerful exploration of women’s lives in 1920s America, and it was a brilliant read for the #1929Club!