Audiobook Review – Passing by Nella Larson, Narrated by Robin Miles (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 4 hours and 5 minutes
Publisher:‎ Recorded Books
Release Date: September 22, 2011
ASIN: B005OTU0SE
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

“First published in 1929, Passing is a remarkable exploration of the shifting racial and sexual boundaries in America. Larsen, a premier writer of the Harlem Renaissance, captures the rewards and dangers faced by two Negro women who pass for White in a deeply segregated world.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this audiobook from Audible.com.

Thoughts: This was okay. For some reason, I expected more history in here. Although given that this is a classic that was written when that history wasn’t history, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I also expected this to be more about the ramifications of a black woman passing as a white woman, but this really wasn’t about that either. This was more about how desperate women were to keep their “good” life station through deceit.

Irene is a black woman married to a black man; they live a well off if not necessarily happy life with their two children. Irene and her husband don’t really love each other but they tolerate each other fine. Then Clare comes back into Irene’s life. Clare is passing as a white woman and is married to a white man who abhors black people. Clare misses spending time with black folk and starts to hang around Harlem more and more and worm her way into Irene’s life. When Irene suspects her husband of infidelity with Clare, she becomes paranoid and starts to take drastic measures.

This does an excellent job of showing how having women depend on men for their livelihoods can make them defensive and aggressive in protecting their situation. I felt like that message was even stronger than the message of racial divide and the message around Clare wanting to spend more time with a black community even though she’s been passing as white for some time.

This story ages fine, it was easy to listen to and the audiobook is well done. I didn’t really enjoy this, though. I thought all of the characters in here were manipulative and unlikable; I really disliked them all. I understand that this characterization is supposed to be a product of the divisive era. I also felt like this ended very very abruptly and felt really unfinished.

I guess this is a fine look into this kind of issues, and the story hasn’t age poorly. Mostly, reading this just made me feel sad about the way humans used to (and still do) treat each other.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this okay, it is a decent classic story that gives a glimpse into the sexism and racism of the 1920’s. I didn’t particularly enjoy this. I disliked all of the characters immensely and thought the story felt unfinished. This left me feeling mostly just sad. However, it is an easy read and does provide an intriguing glimpse into that era.