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Symptomatic
Look out for Danzy Senna's latest book, New People , on sale now
A young woman moves to New York City for what promises to be a dream job. Displaced, she feels unsure of her fit in the world. Then comes a look of recognition, a gesture of friendship from an older woman named Greta who shares the same difficult-to-place color of skin. On common ground, a tenuous alliance grows between two women in racial limbo. So too, does the older woman's unnerving obsession, leading to a collision of two lives spiraling out of control. A beautifully written novel, at once suspenseful, erotic, and tantalizingly clever, Symptomatic is a groundbreaking contribution to the literature of racial identity.
A young woman moves to New York City for what promises to be a dream job. Displaced, she feels unsure of her fit in the world. Then comes a look of recognition, a gesture of friendship from an older woman named Greta who shares the same difficult-to-place color of skin. On common ground, a tenuous alliance grows between two women in racial limbo. So too, does the older woman's unnerving obsession, leading to a collision of two lives spiraling out of control. A beautifully written novel, at once suspenseful, erotic, and tantalizingly clever, Symptomatic is a groundbreaking contribution to the literature of racial identity.
220 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2004
18 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
About the author
Danzy Senna
12 books1,062 followersDanzy Senna is an American novelist, born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Her parents, Carl Senna, an Afro-Mexican poet and author, and Fanny Howe, who is Irish-American writer, were also civil rights activists.
She attended Stanford University and received an MFA from the University of California at Irvine. There, she received several creative writing awards.
Her debut novel, Caucasia (later republished as From Caucasia With Love), was well received and won several awards including the Book-Of-The-Month Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction, and the Alex Award from the American Library Association.
Her second novel, Symptomatic, was also well received. Both books feature a biracial protagonist and offer a unique view on life from their perspective.
Senna has also contributed to anthologies such as Gumbo.
In 2002, Senna received the Whiting Writers Award and in 2004 was named a Fellow for the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.
Danzy Senna is married to fellow writer Percival Everett and they have a son, Henry together. Their residences have included Los Angeles and New York City.
She attended Stanford University and received an MFA from the University of California at Irvine. There, she received several creative writing awards.
Her debut novel, Caucasia (later republished as From Caucasia With Love), was well received and won several awards including the Book-Of-The-Month Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction, and the Alex Award from the American Library Association.
Her second novel, Symptomatic, was also well received. Both books feature a biracial protagonist and offer a unique view on life from their perspective.
Senna has also contributed to anthologies such as Gumbo.
In 2002, Senna received the Whiting Writers Award and in 2004 was named a Fellow for the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.
Danzy Senna is married to fellow writer Percival Everett and they have a son, Henry together. Their residences have included Los Angeles and New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
January 25, 2024
“Every day in this new city I was trying to live in the purity of the present, free from context. Contexts, I knew, were dangerous: Once you put them into the picture, they took over.”
As with her latest novel New People, Symptomatic presents its readers with a claustrophobic and disquieting narrative that becomes increasingly surreal. Both novels are set in the 90s in New York and follow light-skinned biracial women whose white-passing often results in them feeling on the outside of both the white and Black communities. Senna's razor-sharp commentary on race in America holds no punches as time and again she identifies and dissects everyday slights, aggressions, and hypocrisies. Symptomatic is narrated by an unnamed young woman in her twenties who is interning as a journalist. As she 'passes' as white she begins to feel alienated, a feeling that is exacerbated when she witnesses her white boyfriend—who believes she is Hispanic—guffawing at a friend's racist impersonation. Our narrator is not close to her parents, each of who has embarked on a mystical or religious journey—nor her surfer brother. Senna portrays her feeling of aloneness with incisive precision. The main character feels so severed from her surroundings that she often feels or sees rather disquieting things that may or may not be there. The imagery Senna provides is unpleasant, unsettling, and even grotesque: a "raw chicken wing" lying in the gutter is the narrator's eyes, however momentarily, a "pink fetus", a "steak fry" transforms in a "severed finger", a woman's "pregnant belly" pokes out "like a tumor".
A colleague of the protagonist helps her in her hour of need. After breaking up with her boyfriend the narrator needs a new place and this colleague, Greta, hooks her up with an apartment that has been temporarily vacated by its actual rentee. The narrator and Greta become close as they both happen to be light-skinned biracial women. In spite of their age gap, Greta is in her forties, they feel united by their experiences (of others assuming they are white, of being told they are not really Black, of being seen as 'neither here nor there'). Their thoughts and feelings on race, on white and Black people, can be vicious, full of vitriol, and give us an understanding of them (of the way they have been treated or made to feel). Time and again the narrator is told that there is something about the way she looks, there is an "unsettling" "dissonance" to her that makes others feel uneasy, unable to place her.
As the two women spend more time together it becomes clear to the narrator that Greta is a deeply disturbed and perturbing person. When Greta's obsession with her forces the narrator to cut ties with her, she soon discovers that the older woman is not willing to let go so easily.
“I felt ill. My symptoms were mild and vague. They roamed my body, like tinkers searching for new temporary homes where they could not be caught.”
Senna's prose is as always terrific. I was hypnotized by her words, however uneasy they made me feel. Her commentary on race and contemporary culture is both illuminating and provocative, and, weirdly enough, I also appreciate the cynicism of her novels. The world she presents us with is ugly and so are the people inhabiting it. The oppressive atmosphere of her narratives is made all the more stultifying by the perturbing direction of her storylines. Simple interactions between characters are anything but simple as they are often underlined by a sense of anxiety.
Alas, Senna does have an Achille's heel and that is the final act of her novels. Here there is a reveal which I definitely did not buy into, if anything, it made this one character seem less fleshed out than they were. The character's spiraling into alienation is halted by witnessing someone who has already embarked on this path of self-destruction. The final confrontation also, as noted by other reviewers on GR, was a bit too reminiscent of Passing. As with New People the ending had a touch of bathos that made me reconsider the novel on the whole.
Still, in spite of this, I do love Senna's writing. Her prose is mesmerizing and the content of her stories is both disquieting and eye-opening. If you like authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh or Sabina Murray you should definitely try reading something by Senna.
re-read: a truly disturbing piece of fiction. The mysterious shadows and symptoms haunting our protagonist are truly disturbing.
February 25, 2017
Tragic mulatto to the core. A homage, almost a dangerous plagiarism to Nella Larsen's Passing. I feel I'm watching a reboot, instead of an original work in some aspects.
We have this young woman in a new city, trying to create a new byway for what the life she may lead. She meets a young white man, Andrew, who she likes, not loves, and shares an apartment with. However, since she looks more white than black, he shows his true self at a party with his friends, and she realizes that his role in her life is not a destination, but a slot and a reason to move on to the next.
She meets a fellow black/biracial woman, albeit older, Greta and feels she has met a potential friend. Greta has a "connection" to an apartment (NYC is notorious for its apartment frenzy). Sometimes, gifts from people deserve no enjoyment as the main character finds out. While, she sorts out the spectacles life offers, Greta's chance to do is limited (albeit self-provided). The latter has had a harder look at how society sees her, which creates a madness shown later. Obsession is a word placed too kindly on how Greta feels towards the main character. She wants to live through the other, like a coat.
The main character's name never appears - she's nameless, faceless in a crowd of spectators with assigned traits and memberships she feels do not denote her life. But, what makes her different from Greta, is that she's not trying so hard for a labeling. She's willing to see where life takes her, knowing the journey doesn't end when wistful moments choose to do the same. Finding this out provides tragic (hence, the tragic mulatto cliche).
I try to keep away from such stories as they can be mind-numbing and eye-roll worthy. Mind you, my eyes rolled a few times, but so much as to keep me from finishing the story, which is fascinating. Biraciality, especially black and white, creates a complexity within the wrong hands sometimes. Greta's pair couldn't handle it, while the main character showed patience towards it.
Pros: Engrossing, a page-turner, good characters (Don't let your guard down when Greta comes around)
Cons: Short (once again, I think this is part of the homage to Ms. Larson)
No sophomore slump here. Senza created another story worthy of a reading.
We have this young woman in a new city, trying to create a new byway for what the life she may lead. She meets a young white man, Andrew, who she likes, not loves, and shares an apartment with. However, since she looks more white than black, he shows his true self at a party with his friends, and she realizes that his role in her life is not a destination, but a slot and a reason to move on to the next.
She meets a fellow black/biracial woman, albeit older, Greta and feels she has met a potential friend. Greta has a "connection" to an apartment (NYC is notorious for its apartment frenzy). Sometimes, gifts from people deserve no enjoyment as the main character finds out. While, she sorts out the spectacles life offers, Greta's chance to do is limited (albeit self-provided). The latter has had a harder look at how society sees her, which creates a madness shown later. Obsession is a word placed too kindly on how Greta feels towards the main character. She wants to live through the other, like a coat.
The main character's name never appears - she's nameless, faceless in a crowd of spectators with assigned traits and memberships she feels do not denote her life. But, what makes her different from Greta, is that she's not trying so hard for a labeling. She's willing to see where life takes her, knowing the journey doesn't end when wistful moments choose to do the same. Finding this out provides tragic (hence, the tragic mulatto cliche).
I try to keep away from such stories as they can be mind-numbing and eye-roll worthy. Mind you, my eyes rolled a few times, but so much as to keep me from finishing the story, which is fascinating. Biraciality, especially black and white, creates a complexity within the wrong hands sometimes. Greta's pair couldn't handle it, while the main character showed patience towards it.
Pros: Engrossing, a page-turner, good characters (Don't let your guard down when Greta comes around)
Cons: Short (once again, I think this is part of the homage to Ms. Larson)
No sophomore slump here. Senza created another story worthy of a reading.
May 11, 2025
This was Passing meets Single White Female meets Juice. I actually loved it.
It was strange and it was layered. It was awkward—painfully awkward, tragic, depressing, hilarious, and comforting in a weird way.
I felt like I was right next to our main character trudging through the NY city streets in that pop-down, borrowed, armadillo coat— hoping to never see that crazy bitch from work round the corner.
I felt like the main character’s energy the entire book was on some: am I crazy?? There were points where I, as the reader, was like— this chick is crazy and at the end of this we’re going to be recounting this story from a mental hospital! I’m glad that it didn’t end that way.
This book is a great recommendation for those who liked Post-Traumatic by Chantal Johnson and vice-versa! It was really good.
It was strange and it was layered. It was awkward—painfully awkward, tragic, depressing, hilarious, and comforting in a weird way.
I felt like I was right next to our main character trudging through the NY city streets in that pop-down, borrowed, armadillo coat— hoping to never see that crazy bitch from work round the corner.
I felt like the main character’s energy the entire book was on some: am I crazy?? There were points where I, as the reader, was like— this chick is crazy and at the end of this we’re going to be recounting this story from a mental hospital! I’m glad that it didn’t end that way.
This book is a great recommendation for those who liked Post-Traumatic by Chantal Johnson and vice-versa! It was really good.
April 28, 2012
Interesting, interesting. Strikingly direct homage to Nella Larsen's Passing, another fascinating book about the fixation of one mixed-race woman with another, where the ability for a mixed woman to pass for white plays a key role, and which also eventually spirals into chaos and violence. Also from another angle reminded me of Ian McEwan's Enduring Love and Mary Gaitskill's Veronica, other books about obsession and loneliness. I think I saw this described as chick noir somewhere, and I think that's about right. It definitely manages to capture creepiness and psychological terror in a very effective way, which does not, I must say, lead to an especially comfortable or pleasant read. I also think the beginning is better and then it kind of loses focuses in the second half and gets more schlocky and noirish.
Also some good stuff about the beginning about the particular experience of the nameless narrator in being an educated, light-skinned woman of mixed race, and the particular sense of dislocation and isolation that causes here in various social situations. Some of that got heavy-handed quickly, though (thinking particularly of when the two women go get their "colors" taken. Okay, yes, we get it).
I do want to give a shout-out to my great friend Jon who bought me this book (and also bought me At Swim, Two Boys) for often pushing me to read books I probably would not otherwise seek out that deal with race and sexuality in bold and direct ways. I forget sometimes how influenced I am by the mainstream arbiters of quality in fiction and how much that means I don't always actively seek out this kind of subject matter. I don't think the writing in this book was amazing, but it's still interesting stuff, and I love seeing how it fits into the legacy of Passing, so I'm glad I read it. It's great to have reader friends who bring a different perspective to their recommendations.
Also some good stuff about the beginning about the particular experience of the nameless narrator in being an educated, light-skinned woman of mixed race, and the particular sense of dislocation and isolation that causes here in various social situations. Some of that got heavy-handed quickly, though (thinking particularly of when the two women go get their "colors" taken. Okay, yes, we get it).
I do want to give a shout-out to my great friend Jon who bought me this book (and also bought me At Swim, Two Boys) for often pushing me to read books I probably would not otherwise seek out that deal with race and sexuality in bold and direct ways. I forget sometimes how influenced I am by the mainstream arbiters of quality in fiction and how much that means I don't always actively seek out this kind of subject matter. I don't think the writing in this book was amazing, but it's still interesting stuff, and I love seeing how it fits into the legacy of Passing, so I'm glad I read it. It's great to have reader friends who bring a different perspective to their recommendations.
August 3, 2025
If there's one thing, Senna's gonna write something completely unhinged and we thank her for it!
October 13, 2012
as tragic mulatto stories go this one is pretty darn good. i was lulled into the twenty-something angst of a young woman trying to find herself after college. the situation is familiar; but, it was very apparent that the main character had some extra growing pains to contend with in this quick read. her narrator was steady. you share each moment of her life syllable by syllable as she accounts for life during her journalism internship. seems like a simple premise. about as simple as the invisible man emerging from his cave full of light bulbs!
as i read this story i was impressed. i kept hearing amiri baraka/the roots "there is something in the way of things" play as your eyes flow across the page. displacement. that is the boding feeling you get as you journey down the rabbit hole...Clotel meets Single White Female. yes it is that intense. the delivery of the conclusion is a bit weak, but the set up is beautiful. fifty pages in you are told: "learn your lessons early and you'll save yourself a lot of bullshit down the line."
page ninety seven: i would never do anything to jeopardize your fellowship. page one thirty three the narrator ends the chapter with a memory: "i sat digesting by the window, staring out at the freeway in the distance. that stream of lights and the deserted city streetsdescribed the world for me now, and not here, this bright full space of laughter and friends. this is the strange effect of getting lost. you become aware not so muchof what is absent-all that is faimiliar and safe-but rather of what the familiarity has been keeping at bay: a world of strange shadows and cruel laughter, of odious companions just waiiting fo ryou to come out and play. and they know you will."
now all of this spaced out by some very odd things. there is talk of quadroons, porch monkeys, friendship, abandonment, family, failed relationships, being color struck and color fu ked. its all very brilliant. everything leads you to ride a train of thought (especially when then narrator rides the train and talks about her reflection like its another person) that terminates at the traindepot of crazy white bitches!
as i read this story i was impressed. i kept hearing amiri baraka/the roots "there is something in the way of things" play as your eyes flow across the page. displacement. that is the boding feeling you get as you journey down the rabbit hole...Clotel meets Single White Female. yes it is that intense. the delivery of the conclusion is a bit weak, but the set up is beautiful. fifty pages in you are told: "learn your lessons early and you'll save yourself a lot of bullshit down the line."
page ninety seven: i would never do anything to jeopardize your fellowship. page one thirty three the narrator ends the chapter with a memory: "i sat digesting by the window, staring out at the freeway in the distance. that stream of lights and the deserted city streetsdescribed the world for me now, and not here, this bright full space of laughter and friends. this is the strange effect of getting lost. you become aware not so muchof what is absent-all that is faimiliar and safe-but rather of what the familiarity has been keeping at bay: a world of strange shadows and cruel laughter, of odious companions just waiiting fo ryou to come out and play. and they know you will."
now all of this spaced out by some very odd things. there is talk of quadroons, porch monkeys, friendship, abandonment, family, failed relationships, being color struck and color fu ked. its all very brilliant. everything leads you to ride a train of thought (especially when then narrator rides the train and talks about her reflection like its another person) that terminates at the traindepot of crazy white bitches!
February 24, 2024
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this until I realized only at the end that the main character had been nameless. I’ve seen this in a lot of books and shows lately and have usually appreciated the anonymity (Fleabag is the best example of intentional namelessness,) but in this case it just highlights how distant the main character is from the reader. Even if she had had a name, I probably wouldn’t have remembered it.
The end had a bizarre and unnatural shift in tone and I didn’t have enough time to process it before the book was over.
Ultimately it had similar themes to Caucasia but none of its personality or depth. Sad I didn’t enjoy this one more :’(
The end had a bizarre and unnatural shift in tone and I didn’t have enough time to process it before the book was over.
Ultimately it had similar themes to Caucasia but none of its personality or depth. Sad I didn’t enjoy this one more :’(
March 19, 2024
Enjoyed Senna’s work, like always.
September 1, 2025
Another one of my random picks from a public library shelf. Admittedly chosen for the title and the brightness of the cover. A quick read about a sad set of people in the dismal winter of New York…with a touch of stalking and racial…commentary? Satire? Farce? I’m a sucker for lackluster walk-up flats in the Bronx and I’ll always be happy to settle into a tale of creepy friendship. But the writing was just OK, and the plot compelling enough to keep reading, but overall forgettable.
February 11, 2008
Senna does a wonderful job of capturing the thoughtless racial jibes and slurs to which those of visually indeterminate race are frequently subjected. However, while I think she is attempting to subvert the tragic mulatto stereotype, I'm not sure she does or rather I think she may have simply changed the manifestation of the tragic mulatto's condition. In any event, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this well written and crafted tale regarding how best to handle being of mixed race: stick with people who already know you for who you are? make friends with non-Americans? stay out of New York?
Actually I'm pretty sure Senna is saying none of those things. Rather she is using her craft to call attention to a symptom of America's skanky race issues. And I agree with that. It's just that a novel about it isn't for me.
Yet I do recommend it for people whose tolerance of mainstream literature is higher than mine. The characters and setup situations ring pitch perfect and the use of literary techniques are excellent.
Actually I'm pretty sure Senna is saying none of those things. Rather she is using her craft to call attention to a symptom of America's skanky race issues. And I agree with that. It's just that a novel about it isn't for me.
Yet I do recommend it for people whose tolerance of mainstream literature is higher than mine. The characters and setup situations ring pitch perfect and the use of literary techniques are excellent.
December 5, 2016
Danzy Senna is one of the most interesting writers in America today, and I'd highly recommend reading everything she's written (the fiction, yes, but the essays too are great). What was interesting about Symptomatic to me is the way she enlarges on certain themes present in her first novel, Caucasia, in a less hopeful, more cruel, and arguably more interesting, way. If the misanthropy was blink-and-you'll-miss-it asides in Caucasia, and settled fact in You Are Free, the short story collection following this, here's it's something to be explored at every twist, the feeling of discomfort building and building, and not just for reasons to do with the plot. And I'll be honest- the plot was the least interesting aspect of the book for me, I saw that twist coming a mile away, but it serves as a fairly sound backbone on which to hang the book on, and what Senna's REALLY interested in talking about: invisibility/passing, the fascination of similarity, inappropriate behaviour, and shit white people say to you when they don't know that you're black. Go read it.
April 17, 2018
Senna transfers elements found in her freshman novel, “Caucasia” into “Symptomatic” with her continuing theme of racial identity, broken families, eccentric multi racial parents, moving to a new place and coming of age and adds a little suspense thrill a little late in the narrative. Senna constructs rich inner and outer dialogues for characters as they explore, respond and develop within the larger context with respect to race and historic and social implications both internally and externally. Senna’s prose for diatribe is biting and deeply truthful and there is no fat or fluff infused into these moments. Senna offers little resolution in this work as the identity by-products of multiracial or “new people” as Senna so refers changes with time both inward and outward and ever eludes the multiracial tweeter generation from which she and her characters issue forth from.
April 20, 2007
i initially chose 2 stars, then thought about my initial review to jhumpa lahiri's "the namesake" and decided i didn't want to make the mistake again of comparing the second work by an author to the debut.
the first half showcases senna's strengths-- creating complicated characters who explore and explode race and racism. the second half wanders off and loses focus. but, even so, it's pretty good. i have to finish books i start reading, but if you are a person that doesn't have that compulsion, consider stopping half-way through. you will probably have a much higher opinion of "symptomatic" then.
the first half showcases senna's strengths-- creating complicated characters who explore and explode race and racism. the second half wanders off and loses focus. but, even so, it's pretty good. i have to finish books i start reading, but if you are a person that doesn't have that compulsion, consider stopping half-way through. you will probably have a much higher opinion of "symptomatic" then.
June 30, 2008
This book was structurally exquisite. Even though Caucasia is more well-known and has more interesting political/ historical tidbits, Symptomatic is more complex and mature. It reminded me of Conrad's The Secret Sharer: a choreographed literary dance as the unnamed protagonist painfully slowly comes to recognize elements of her possible future self in her doppelganger.
June 26, 2025
I would have given this book 5 stars because it was so gripping, everything was interesting and I couldn't stop reading it. But ultimately it kind of freaked me out, and made me a little more scared of the whole world in general. Not a good thing for me.
August 18, 2008
After reading Caucasia, Symptomatic was a little disappointing.
December 26, 2008
my dear friend danzy senna's brilliant follow-up to caucasia. deserved more notice than it received.
June 8, 2012
It bored the hell out of me.
May 25, 2024
These character dynamics were extremely intriguing. We have a nameless narrator, which is always fun. I love to unravel why the person remains nameless and how we can get into the head of said person without even having their name. It's always interesting when an author can do that. However, the story really picked up when the character of Greta was introduced. Both women are in similar circumstances as they are both mixed race, but they experience those circumstances completely differently. We will talk more about that when we get to the plot of the story. This book is for those who love the unhinged woman trope, but this is from the perspective of the friend of the unhinged woman, and I've never read anything like that. If you like unhinged women and weird girl books, I would definitely recommend picking up this book.
The atmosphere was 1990s New York City. I always like the 90s and early 00s for New York. It always feels nostalgic for me, even though I wasn’t necessarily there. I think it has to do with a lot of movies and TV shows I watched as a child taking place in New York City, so there's a bit of a magical feeling. The story does not feel magical, even though I had ideas of how to make this magical realism, but that’s irrelevant.
The writing was good. It was fast-paced and easy to read. However, at times, there were really weird and vulgar descriptions that made me double-take what I was reading.
Now we are back to the plot. The main theme of the story is racial identity. This book was published in 2004 and takes place in the early 1990s, but I still think the story remains relevant 20 years later here in 2024. Both of the main characters come from mixed-race families. Greta is somebody who I think is very lost, mainly about her race, not fitting in with the Black community and not fitting in with the white community. She’s somebody that would very much latch onto labels, wanting to label herself. I think it stems from Greta wanting to feel a part of something.
In contrast, our main character, the nameless narrator, seems more go-with-the-flow. She didn’t really care about her race as much. There is also a big age gap between these two women, with Greta having grown up and been in her 20s during the 1960s civil rights movement. I think that may be why she cared more about race than our main character.
Regarding the main twist towards the end of the book, I would have liked a little more explanation on that. It was lacking some logic. The story was intriguing throughout, but it’s not one that I loved, though it was thought-provoking.
These character dynamics were extremely intriguing. If you like unhinged women and weird girl books, I would definitely recommend picking up this book.The atmosphere was 1990s New York City. The writing was good.However, at times, there were really weird and vulgar descriptions that made me double-take what I was reading. The main theme of the story is racial identity. The story was intriguing throughout, but it’s not one that I loved, though it was thought-provoking. This was a good book and I would recommend picking it up if you are inclined to do so.
3.25 out of 5 stars.
Read the full review on my blog: https://izzyreads.blog/2024/05/25/sym...
The atmosphere was 1990s New York City. I always like the 90s and early 00s for New York. It always feels nostalgic for me, even though I wasn’t necessarily there. I think it has to do with a lot of movies and TV shows I watched as a child taking place in New York City, so there's a bit of a magical feeling. The story does not feel magical, even though I had ideas of how to make this magical realism, but that’s irrelevant.
The writing was good. It was fast-paced and easy to read. However, at times, there were really weird and vulgar descriptions that made me double-take what I was reading.
Now we are back to the plot. The main theme of the story is racial identity. This book was published in 2004 and takes place in the early 1990s, but I still think the story remains relevant 20 years later here in 2024. Both of the main characters come from mixed-race families. Greta is somebody who I think is very lost, mainly about her race, not fitting in with the Black community and not fitting in with the white community. She’s somebody that would very much latch onto labels, wanting to label herself. I think it stems from Greta wanting to feel a part of something.
In contrast, our main character, the nameless narrator, seems more go-with-the-flow. She didn’t really care about her race as much. There is also a big age gap between these two women, with Greta having grown up and been in her 20s during the 1960s civil rights movement. I think that may be why she cared more about race than our main character.
Regarding the main twist towards the end of the book, I would have liked a little more explanation on that. It was lacking some logic. The story was intriguing throughout, but it’s not one that I loved, though it was thought-provoking.
These character dynamics were extremely intriguing. If you like unhinged women and weird girl books, I would definitely recommend picking up this book.The atmosphere was 1990s New York City. The writing was good.However, at times, there were really weird and vulgar descriptions that made me double-take what I was reading. The main theme of the story is racial identity. The story was intriguing throughout, but it’s not one that I loved, though it was thought-provoking. This was a good book and I would recommend picking it up if you are inclined to do so.
3.25 out of 5 stars.
Read the full review on my blog: https://izzyreads.blog/2024/05/25/sym...
April 5, 2025
A young biracial woman's post-college year in New York proves to be challenging. The unnamed narrator has landed a prestigious fellowship writing for a big New York magazine. At this job, she starts a friendship with an older woman named Greta Hicks who shares the same racially ambiguous look and understanding of displacement in the world because of it. What begins as a harmless connection quickly turns into Greta becoming heavily involved in our narrator's life, resulting in an obsession that spirals out of control.
"She was always available when I wanted to tie one on, and she was always sympathetic—no, empathetic—to my every grumble and complaint."
"I feel like I've known you forever."
As I started reading Symptomatic, it reminded me of Passing and Quicksand, both by Nella Larsen. Having already read and loved those two books by Larsen influenced my rating.
The themes explored in the book are race, identity, belonging, and obsession. Danzy Senna also incorporates elements of noir and psychological thriller, and explores the tragic mulatto stereotype. We see this with not only our narrator's life but also Greta's. Although our narrator does not fit comfortably in either the Black or white world, she can get along with them well. Greta, on the other hand, is a unsettling example of a mixed-race woman who has not successfully navigated both worlds. Greta shows her true feelings for both white and Black people with aggression and offensive racial slurs. She truly only loves those who look like her.
"We don't need them. We're a new race. A new people."
One thing I didn't care for was how trusting our narrator was of Greta, her ex-boyfriend, and other people she interacted with throughout the book. I know she was younger, but wow she was naive. She ignored some major red flags and didn't make smart decisions.
Symptomatic was a quick, engaging read. If you aren’t interested in reading classics, I’d recommend this for the language and similar themes. But if you’ve already read either of Nella Larsen’s novels, I think you can skip this.
"She was always available when I wanted to tie one on, and she was always sympathetic—no, empathetic—to my every grumble and complaint."
"I feel like I've known you forever."
As I started reading Symptomatic, it reminded me of Passing and Quicksand, both by Nella Larsen. Having already read and loved those two books by Larsen influenced my rating.
The themes explored in the book are race, identity, belonging, and obsession. Danzy Senna also incorporates elements of noir and psychological thriller, and explores the tragic mulatto stereotype. We see this with not only our narrator's life but also Greta's. Although our narrator does not fit comfortably in either the Black or white world, she can get along with them well. Greta, on the other hand, is a unsettling example of a mixed-race woman who has not successfully navigated both worlds. Greta shows her true feelings for both white and Black people with aggression and offensive racial slurs. She truly only loves those who look like her.
"We don't need them. We're a new race. A new people."
One thing I didn't care for was how trusting our narrator was of Greta, her ex-boyfriend, and other people she interacted with throughout the book. I know she was younger, but wow she was naive. She ignored some major red flags and didn't make smart decisions.
Symptomatic was a quick, engaging read. If you aren’t interested in reading classics, I’d recommend this for the language and similar themes. But if you’ve already read either of Nella Larsen’s novels, I think you can skip this.
December 1, 2024
2.5 stars rounded up
this was probably my least favorite read out of the senna books i've completed thus far, though I appreciated the nearly horror-like elements to the final pages; it actually ended up giving me a nightmare the night after I finished it, so clearly it was lingering in my subconscious. it was interesting how greta functioned as a character foil to the main character, as the potential path for the tragic mullatto--spiraling and chronically spiteful, hating the world around her and descending into the madness of a perpetual racial limbo. it was interesting how she infiltrates the main character's subconcious and also opened an interesting discussion of stalkers and how to address non-romantic stalkers, specifically female ones--reminded me of the netflix show baby reindeer in some ways; greta's character filled me with the same dread. also, I appreciated how the main character's initial relationship with andrew was a red herring, because I was prepared for another novel filled with instances of microaggressive comments that continually threaten the fate of the relationship but don't, until they do; we got that out of the way early.
this was probably my least favorite read out of the senna books i've completed thus far, though I appreciated the nearly horror-like elements to the final pages; it actually ended up giving me a nightmare the night after I finished it, so clearly it was lingering in my subconscious. it was interesting how greta functioned as a character foil to the main character, as the potential path for the tragic mullatto--spiraling and chronically spiteful, hating the world around her and descending into the madness of a perpetual racial limbo. it was interesting how she infiltrates the main character's subconcious and also opened an interesting discussion of stalkers and how to address non-romantic stalkers, specifically female ones--reminded me of the netflix show baby reindeer in some ways; greta's character filled me with the same dread. also, I appreciated how the main character's initial relationship with andrew was a red herring, because I was prepared for another novel filled with instances of microaggressive comments that continually threaten the fate of the relationship but don't, until they do; we got that out of the way early.
Read
February 17, 2025Magazines, like the one I was heading off to work for, were, she said, bad for your health. They sustain the status quo in subtle, insidious ways. They keep us separated from each other, all the while homogenizing us into oblivion.
And I thought about how sometimes another body beside you in bed—the heat and weight of it—can make you feel more alone, not less.
He’d said humor, above all else, was what bound each of us and separated each of us from one another. Humor was the great moment of truth. What we thought was funny was how we defined ourselves, and revealed ourselves, whether we knew it or not.
This is the strange effect of getting lost. You become aware not so much of what is absent—all that is familiar and safe—but rather of what that familiarity has been keeping at bay: a world of strange shadows and cruel laughter, of odious companions just waiting for you to come out and play. And they know you will.
And I thought about how sometimes another body beside you in bed—the heat and weight of it—can make you feel more alone, not less.
He’d said humor, above all else, was what bound each of us and separated each of us from one another. Humor was the great moment of truth. What we thought was funny was how we defined ourselves, and revealed ourselves, whether we knew it or not.
This is the strange effect of getting lost. You become aware not so much of what is absent—all that is familiar and safe—but rather of what that familiarity has been keeping at bay: a world of strange shadows and cruel laughter, of odious companions just waiting for you to come out and play. And they know you will.
August 8, 2025
This book is 2.5 but I really didn’t like it. I am fascinated by Senna Danzy’s revelations around race and specifically bi racial people who appear white. Her originality in this book in exposing that reality is its strongest point. The plot rotates around the nameless narrator and her workmate Greta,a lost disturbed older woman, their biracial identities being what united them.
I have a low tolerance for characters like Greta whose pathology seeps across the plot. And I have low tolerance for characters like the narrator who seem to choose passivity in relationships instead of finding their own agency.
There is a continual element of noir, making the scenery creepy, dimly lit, soiled and frigid. This relentless lack of beauty or comfort, which was the point of the author, left me as a reader, on unstable footing.
I have a low tolerance for characters like Greta whose pathology seeps across the plot. And I have low tolerance for characters like the narrator who seem to choose passivity in relationships instead of finding their own agency.
There is a continual element of noir, making the scenery creepy, dimly lit, soiled and frigid. This relentless lack of beauty or comfort, which was the point of the author, left me as a reader, on unstable footing.
June 24, 2020
Like a Lifetime Movie ablaze at KMart . Single (Off) White Female. You will never look at bad silver Dress Barn bargain disco dresses or home waxing kits the same way again. Very cheesy, a huge step down after Caucasia (where else to go after that masterpiece) but absolutely entertaining. I had it figured 1/2 way through but still enjoyed the implausible scholastic book about two frenemies style ending. Two White women with Black ancestry that isn’t visible meet....no spoilers ! Confirmed my suspiciousness that Danzy Senna hates food as she never makes it sound enjoyable or nostalgic.
Definitely check it out!
Definitely check it out!
September 12, 2025
I'm a big fan of Senna but I wasn't overly fond of this one. The narrator moves to New York for her first journalism job. She moves is with a man she hardly knows but realizes that it's not working. She becomes friends with Greta, the only other mixed race person at the work place, who helps her find a new temporary apartment, one belonging to a woman named Vera. As Greta becomes more possessive, the narrator realizes that something is wrong. When she begins a new relationship with a man she interviewed, Greta's jealousy becomes more aggressive. A surprising ending reveals all the ways in which the narrator has misjudged much of her current life.
January 24, 2019
-not something I’d usually be into because pretty much nothing happened until last 20 pages but it dealt with race issues and moved fast so I enjoyed it
-girl is working for a magazine company in nyc and befriends a middle aged coworker who turns out to be a menace
-typical senna book where bi-racial girl is involved with white and black people but both disappoint her, then something crazy happens at the end
-ominous tone and most of the situations felt real although plot not so much at the end
-girl is working for a magazine company in nyc and befriends a middle aged coworker who turns out to be a menace
-typical senna book where bi-racial girl is involved with white and black people but both disappoint her, then something crazy happens at the end
-ominous tone and most of the situations felt real although plot not so much at the end
October 17, 2022
3/5 stars flat
Not for me. Mostly well-written, and strongly well-intentioned, but it's characterized by melodrama and caricatures that don't play a believable role in the narrative.
I enjoy the tension of the struggles with racial identity, and I appreciate the premise, but I can't help but feel this was taken in a direction so explicit, it's almost insulting. Almost as if the author didn't trust us to make the most of a nuanced message. I did hear good things about her first novel, Caucasia, so I'm planning on queueing that up.
Not for me. Mostly well-written, and strongly well-intentioned, but it's characterized by melodrama and caricatures that don't play a believable role in the narrative.
I enjoy the tension of the struggles with racial identity, and I appreciate the premise, but I can't help but feel this was taken in a direction so explicit, it's almost insulting. Almost as if the author didn't trust us to make the most of a nuanced message. I did hear good things about her first novel, Caucasia, so I'm planning on queueing that up.
December 28, 2025
felt like i was reading the author's perspective/life experience as a mixed woman who passes as white but then projected, dramatized, and made corny-- cue the cliched rich white boyfriend who she meets at her private college who turns out to be really racist and the african american studies TA before that who's a patriarchal dickhead. maybe i don't like heavy dialogue (?)
felt akin to passing but maybe that's my own judgement of just reading a book about an american mixed girl who passes as white idk... #sorry(?)
felt akin to passing but maybe that's my own judgement of just reading a book about an american mixed girl who passes as white idk... #sorry(?)
August 30, 2020
I love Danzy Senna, and I loved this book. It’s a psychological thriller, but in a very unusual way. She’s such a masterful writer that I didn’t see the full plot coming. Her descriptions are so good, her storytelling ability is genius, and I’ve read this book many times just for pleasure. It never ceases to give me the shivers in the right places. It’s also a bit of a mystery, which I enjoyed. Highly recommended.
March 17, 2022
I liked the book. It reminded me of A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which I’ve come to realize maintain plots that are relatable and enjoyable for me. Other than the sparse mentions/encounters with people signaling her mixed-ness (which, I wish had been more explored), I don’t see how it’s similar to Passing (which almost everyone else does), the movie.
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