The main characters are Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. They were childhood friends, growing up in the same neighborhood. "It must be, she figured, all of twelve years since she, or anybody that she knew, had laid eyes on Clare Kendry," (Larson 181). This is the beginning of the great encounter between these two women. Irene remembers the day she recounterd Clare. They saw each other again on the roof of a white cafe; both women pass for white for social events ("Review of Passing"). Irene is invited to Clare's home where she meets her husband who is an extreme racist. Clare is passing for white for all the benefits. Clare desires to retouch her background and does so with Irene. Clare visits Irene very often, while her husband is away. As the story continues, Irene sets out to ruin Clare because she thinks Clare is having an affair with Brian, Irene's husband, who is black. One day Irene hints at Clare's husband that Clare is black. The book ends with Clare, Brian, and Irene at a party in a building. Clare's husband has discovered the truth and barges in trying to look for her and confront her in front of everyone, but Clare is gone. The book makes us question whether she committed suicide....or if Irene pushed her out the window. At the beginning of the book I felt it was a little...dry. It took awhile for it to develop. The ending surprised me; it was a good book; however, I wish there had been more detail. The people who would enjoy this book are those who like mystery and drama. The book does a good job of mixing jealousy and friendship to make it intriguing.
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| A window is important because this how Clare dies. The reader is left to question whether she committed suicide or whether Irene pushed her out. At the very end, a century after Irene can hear a strange man saying to check out that window again. |
| The cafe is important because this is really where everything starts. The whole book unravels because Irene and Clare re-encounter at a white cafe. |