Nella Larsen's Passing

Nella Larsen's novel Passing was recently made into a film by Netlfix and it was everything I never knew I needed. The plot is based around two light-skinned Black women who were childhood friends accidentally encountering each other one day just to be surprised of what has become of the other. Clare passes as a white woman and has a white husband. Irene on the other hand only passes as white for convenience, but leads her life as a Black woman with a Black husband.

When I saw that Tessa Thompson would be starring in the film I knew that it was going to be something worth sitting down for. I haven't had a chance to read the novel yet, but if it's half as good as the film I think any reader would be in for a treat. The film itself was amazing as it explored the themes of identity, race, privilege, and jealousy.

It was riveting in its own right because there was a lot that went into the things that were said and unsaid, seen and unseen. The plot required a lot of attention to detail and seeing between the things that were not blatantly stated. The ending will leave you with a lot of questions, but a lot of insight at the same time. Passing is definitely worth a watch.