Passing characters

Appears from the start

A light-skinned Black woman living in Harlem with her physician husband and their two sons. She sometimes allows strangers to assume she is white when convenience or safety makes that useful, but she remains firmly attached to her family and Black social world. A letter from Clare Kendry revives memories of a disturbing encounter in Chicago and unsettles the ordered life Irene tries to protect.

Appears from the start

Irene's childhood acquaintance, remembered as a daring girl whose difficult early life ended when she went to live with white relatives. Now married and living as a white woman, Clare has written to Irene after their unexpected reunion. Her beauty, confidence, and determination to renew the friendship leave Irene both fascinated and wary.

First appears in chapter 3

Clare's white husband, a wealthy international banker who believes his wife is white. In company he casually expresses virulent racism and uses a racist nickname for Clare, unaware that the women listening are Black. His ignorance makes Clare's marriage and renewed contact with Irene's circle dangerous.

First appears in chapter 3

A childhood acquaintance of Irene and Clare who also passes as white and has married a white man. Unlike Clare, she has told her husband about her ancestry. Her presence at tea exposes Irene to a second version of the compromises and fears involved in passing.

First appears in chapter 5

Irene's husband, a successful Black physician who remains frustrated by American racism and periodically speaks of moving the family to Brazil. He is affectionate but restless, and his wish to address racial violence honestly with their sons conflicts with Irene's desire to shield the household from distress.

First appears in chapter 5

The older of Irene and Brian's two sons. He is beginning to encounter the realities of racial hostility, prompting disagreement between his parents over how much the boys should be told and how protected their childhood ought to remain.

First appears in chapter 5

The younger son of Irene and Brian Redfield. Together with his brother, he is central to Irene's determination to preserve the family's security and resist Brian's recurring wish to leave New York for Brazil.

Also known as Hugh

First appears in chapter 7

A white novelist and friend of the Redfields who attends the Negro Welfare League dance. Observant and socially at ease, he discusses the mixed crowd and Clare's striking appearance with Irene while moving comfortably within Harlem's artistic circles.

First appears in chapter 3

Clare's young daughter, who is being raised as white and is away at boarding school during much of Clare's renewed involvement with Irene. Clare's concern about what Margery might look like at birth reveals how precariously her family life rests on secrecy.

First appears in chapter 10

A sophisticated Black friend of Irene's who is visibly identifiable as Black. Her presence beside Irene during a chance meeting makes it impossible for a hostile acquaintance to keep assuming Irene is white.