Passing by Nella Larsen - 3 stars

[Robin P]

This is a classic from the Harlem Renaissance about 2 women who can "pass" as white in 1920's New York. One chooses not to, but the other hides her origins and marries a white man who hates black people. A lot of the book is about the different motivations and tradeoffs. There is also a "frenemy" relationship that reminded me of My Brilliant Friend. The POV is from the woman living in the black community and we are never really sure how accurate it is. Is her husband having an affair with the friend or is it just imagination? And what actually happens in the climactic final scene? It's a very interesting book. I only gave 3 stars as my personal reaction because this is barely 100 pages and I like a longer, meatier story.

[Amy]

Just read it a couple off months ago! I thought it was great!