Passing by Nella Larsen
I recently read Passing by Nella Larsen, and honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of it. The story was about two childhood friends, Irene and Clare, who reconnect years later. Clare is passing as white, even though she’s actually Black, and Irene starts getting caught up in Clare’s complicated life. I thought the concept of the book was interesting, because it’s about identity, race, and fitting into different worlds. But at times, I thought it was kind of confusing. The writing style was a bit old-fashioned, and sometimes I had to reread parts just to figure out what was going on. There were moments where I wasn’t sure what the characters were doing and where they were. For me, the pacing also felt a little slow and boring. The story focused on small details, which made it hard to stay focused. Even the ending left me a bit confused. It happened pretty quickly that I wasn’t sure what it was about. Overall, I didn’t even know what was the main point of this book. As a reader, I didn’t connect with it much. It was hard to follow at times, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.
Reviewed by Teen Volunteer, 8/18/2025.