Passing

Set in Harlem in the 1920s, Nella Larsen’s novel centers on Irene Redfield’s renewed connection with Clare Kendry, a childhood friend who has been living as white while concealing her Black identity from her husband. Their reunion brings questions of racial identity and community into Irene’s established family life, as Clare seeks a connection to the world she left behind. First published in 1929, Passing examines the pressures and personal costs surrounding racial passing, while also raising broader questions about the identities people present and the ties they maintain or sever. This edition includes an introduction by Brit Bennett.