Quicksand

In the Pantheon of great American writers, I doubt the name of Nella Larsen is seldom mentioned. True, her literary output was small, a couple of novels and short stories, and a third novel that has only recently been published, after having been rejected by her publisher nearly a hundred years ago. But in my small world, Nella Larsen looms large, alongside Hemingway, Faulkner, Dos Passos, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, John O' Hara, and Capote."Quicksand," like her first novel, "Passing," is beautifully written, with the main character of Helga Crane, fully and disturbingly realized as she becomes the symbol of what it was like to be a Negro in America during the 1920's and 1930's in the south, and in the big northern cities. The author makes one astutely aware of the differences between whites and blacks, and the decisions that blacks have to make simply because of the color of their skin. Decisions that most people would consider cruel.Ms. Larsen is a writer that needs to read by all Americans interested in justice for all, and the penalty that way too many black Americans had to deal with simply because of the color of their skin.

I read PASSING, Larsen's second novel first. QUICKSAND is a wonderful surprise, even better than PASSING. It's autobiographical, which I didn't know until after I read it. And like Larsen's other novella, her writing is lush and very sensuous. I loved this book!At first I thought I didn't like Helga, the protagonist. But when she moved to NYC, in Harlem, I started to appreciate her character. Helga is the child of a Danish white woman and a black American. She leaves her position at a college for blacks because she doesn't fit in. She winds up in different locales trying to find the best place for her -- a woman who isn't black and isn't white. She has much success in Denmark, visiting her aunt and that family. They take her in, and she becomes a novelty there. They are wealthy and have connections. An avant garde artist who paints her eventually becomes enamored with Helga. But she doesn't quite fit in there in Copenhagen, either.So she returns to NY, ostensibly for a good friend's wedding. And that's not even the last place she tries out. Helga is a fish out of water wherever she lives. Her final iteration is hard to believe, so I won't say anything about that. But Helga has an inner life that transcends whatever she happens to be doing. And her thoughts, the inner life, are lushly described.

Much like her wonderful book, Passing, this book is full of complexities and challenges as the character (Helga) navigates her life as a biracial woman who has not figured out how to be fully anything. This book sucks you into the feeling of the challenges Helga faces as she moves from place to place without ever completely being fully herself. Absolutely lovely read!

“Always she had wanted, not money, but the things which money could give, leisure, attention, beautiful surroundings. Things. Things. Things.” (p. 63). Kindle Edition.This book’s title does not refer to literal quicksand. Rather, Helga Crane, the protagonist, is figuratively entrapped and frustrated as though she is in quicksand. The story begins as Helga, a biracial woman, is teaching at Naxos, a southern school for American Blacks, in the 1920s. Helga believed that the school promulgated the superiority of Caucasians, and she thought it was disgraceful to her people to pretend to educate them in such a place. So when she abruptly quit, she uttered these words to Dr. Robert Anderson, the Black principal:“Well, for one thing, I hate hypocrisy. I hate cruelty to students, and to teachers who can’t fight back. I hate backbiting, and sneaking, and petty jealousy. Naxos? It’s hardly a place at all. It’s more like some loathsome, venomous disease. Ugh! Everybody spending his time in a malicious hunting for the weaknesses of others, spying, grudging, scratching.” (p. 18). <!--more-->Dr. Anderson shows up again in the novel, and it is apparent that Helga is attracted to him. However, as Helga begins the next part of her life’s journey by taking a train to Chicago, the reader soon realizes how discontent and restless Helga is. Naxos represented the Anglo-Saxon world. However, when she begins to encounter other people, white, black and biracial, they seem charming and alluring at first but continually remind her of the hypocrisy of society, especially when it comes to racial discrimination.She hopes at first to receive assistance from her Uncle Peter, who had funded her schooling. But, when that doesn’t work out, she ends up relying on the resources of a YWCA in Chicago, where she eventually meets Mrs. Hayes-Rore, who hires Helga to travel from Chicago to New York with her and help her prepare speeches. Mrs. Hayes-Rore is also mixed race and has the social prestige that Helga seeks. Mrs. Hayes-Rore introduces her to Anne Grey, a socialite widow who shares her home with her in New York until she has the opportunity to visit her aunt and uncle in Denmark. In Denmark, she has the chance to marry an artist, but she returns to New York with uncertain goals and eventually marries, but she never loses her impulsive nature.In many ways, Helga is an unlikeable character. Still, Nella Larson has created her to force readers to consider the plight of biracial people and people of color in multiple geographic locations: The South, Chicago, New York, and Europe. Helga is cynical and discontent. She flees every time she approaches intimacy with another human being. She feels confined and powerless, yet she seeks higher social status. Hela is uncomfortable in her skin, identifies with neither the Whites nor Blacks and continually strives to reinvent herself.

I needed the book Passing for my uni course and I much prefer ebooks to paper so ordered this. Good price and enjoyed the book.

I had to read this book for a university class and unlike many books I have to read for class I found this book easy to get into and it also captured and held my attention throughout.The small chapters give the reader the ability to easily pick up and put down the book. It was both funny and sad and had a fascinating social commentary.

I enjoyed this book though felt it ended rather abruptly. It gave a good insight into the difficulties faced by mixed race people in the States at that time but perhaps to a point even now. If it is indeed in part autobiographical it must have taken some courage to expose some of what must of been quite painful parts of her life,an interesting read.

I've not read many books by black or mixed race authors that really deal with issues surrounding race and have really been enjoying getting stuck in and feeling represented :) I think this book captures pretty perfectly what it feels like being mixed race and as well as all of the expectancy that comes with that and being a woman.

Great novel but have to say the quality of the book is appalling. Its printed by amazon which explains why. Try to avoid the 4.99 edition trust me