Nella Larsen

Passing Nella Larsen

The classic novel of the Harlem Renaissance. Now a major motion picture and a selection of the New York Times Style Magazine Book Club.




Clare Kendry has the life she always dreamed of-she's beautiful, has a daughter that she loves dearly, and a wealthy husband who ensures their lives are very comfortable. She also has a secret that her husband must never know. She's been passing as white. After a chance encounter with a childhood friend, Irene Redfield, Clare realizes all that she has given up by denying her heritage. As Clare increasingly imposes herself on Irene in an attempt to recapture what she has lost, Irene faces her own crisis, struggling with her obligations to her friend, to her race, to her family, and to herself.




Passing addresses the fluidity of racial identity and the personal impact of with a directness seldom, if ever, seen before its first appearance. Upon its publication, W. E. B. Du Bois hailed it as "one of the finest novels of the year."