Quicksand by Nella Larsen - 3 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

Quicksand by Nella Larsen - 3* - My Review

Protagonist Helga Crane is the mixed-race daughter of a white woman and Caribbean man. As the story opens, she is teaching at a southern school for blacks. She is restless and dissatisfied, feeling she does not fit in. She is angered at the methods being used to keep black Americans contented in the present and looking for their reward in heaven. She moves from place to place, seeking elusive happiness, trying to avoid marriage, and finding herself wanting something more from life.

It is about a person struggling with racial identity and feeling she is not accepted. Readers watch her make decisions that seem to make things worse rather than better. She travels from place to place – first to Harlem and then to Denmark. This book was published in 1928 and is considered a classic. It is, perhaps, an attempt to help readers put themselves in the protagonist’s shoes. It is not a cheery book, but I am glad I read it.

PBT Comments: This book is from Tien's shelf. (Read this one for the 6-5 roll).