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In mid-1920s America, the Harlem Renaissance of black culture and society may be underway, but racism still runs deep through the habits and laws of the country.
Clare Kendry has severed all ties to her impoverished past in the black community of Chicago. Elegant, fair-skinned and ambitious, she is now married to a wealthy white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage.

However, when Clare renews her acquaintance with childhood friend Irene, who is similarly light skinned but who has not hidden her background, both women are forced to reassess their friendship and loyalties.

Nella Larsen's intense and psychologically nuanced portrayal of lives and identities dangerously colliding, first published in 1929, has more recently found new audiences in the cinema and also in schools as an English literature A-level set text.

Written by Nella Larsen

Read by Ayesha Antoine

Abridged by Isobel Creed

Produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 first broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2022.