Passing
First published to critical acclaim in 1929, Passing firmly established Nella Larsen's prominence among women writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Irene Redfield, the novel's protagonist, is a woman with an enviable life. She and her husband, Brian, a prominent physician, share a comfortable Harlem town house with their sons. Her work arranging charity balls that gather Harlem's elite creates a sense of purpose and respectability for Irene. But her hold on this world begins to slip the day she encounters Clare Kendry, a childhood friend with whom she had lost touch. Clare—light-skinned, beautiful, and charming—tells Irene how, after her father's death, she left behind the black neighborhood of her adolescence and began passing for white, hiding her true identity from everyone, including her racist husband. As Clare begins inserting herself into Irene's life, Irene is thrown into a panic, terrified of the consequences of Clare's dangerous behavior. And when Clare witnesses the vibrancy and energy of the community she left behind, her burning desire to come back threatens to shatter her careful deception.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Passing
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Irene Redfield bumps into her childhood friend Clare in a rooftop tea room and learns Clare has been passing as white, married to a man who hates Black people. Their reacquaintance is its own slow danger.
Yes. Rebecca Hall directed a 2021 Netflix film adaptation starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. The black-and-white film follows the novella closely and was widely praised.
Yes. Passing was published in 1929 and entered the U.S. public domain in 2025. Free editions are now available. Older editions and modern annotated editions remain copyrighted.
Passing was written by Nella Larsen, published in 1929 by WLC.
Passing is 179 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Passing takes most readers 3 to 4 hours to finish.
Passing is a standalone novel by Nella Larsen, not part of a series.
Passing is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.