Am I supposed to be alarmed about his "secret"? That piece just made him seem more likeable and normal.

I shower in the morning so that I can style my hair. Sleeping on my long, curly hair flattens it out and makes it frizzy. Sometimes I'll sleep with a scarf on if it's an early morning, but it's just easier to wash my hair in the morning.

Also, I rinse off before getting into bed or after working out/getting sweaty, but won't get my hair wet.

In a way, Americans have already moved past being a truly monogamy-based society, especially in comparison to social (and political) norms for the country's first century. The compulsory expectation that you will enter marriage with one partner for your life has significantly shifted in the last 50-100 years.

Outside of extremely religious communities, it is simply not demanded that you only sleep with one partner and remain with them for the rest of your life. Hookup culture, especially among college-aged people, has become the new norm. Four in 10 children are born to unwed mothers. Divorce and remarriage is common. Around 30% of husbands and 20% of wives have had extramarital affairs. About 4%-9% of Americans are currently in open marriages (for comparison, LGBT people make up only about 4% of the US population).

Monogamy is what we say we expect, but we don't actually police sexual relationships in a way that enforces that as a social structure anymore.

So what do you think about it? What point are you to in the novel? I don't want to ruin anything by saying too much, but Larsen is one of my favorite novelists. Quicksand, imo, is even better than Passing.

What do you make of the claim that the novel is "passing" about being a novel about "passing"?

I just started The Vorrh by Brian Catling. I'm not too far in yet, but it's an interesting take on the fantasy genre that plays with The Heart of Darkness-type colonial ideas/situation (at least in one chapter, not sure how the novel will develop). The first chapter is pretty intense--there's a dead body involved. And, then, there's robot-human love taken in a slightly new direction.

So what do you think so far? Do you think you'll become a McCullers fan? I have friends who rabidly debate who's the better southern woman writer (so specific, I know!)--McCullers vs Welty. For humanness, I'd go for McCullers. For craft, I'd go for Welty. I love both, though.

If you like Marquez (especially in his epic mode like in 100 Years), I'd recommend trying out Texaco by Chamoiseau. Similar narratives and styles, but Chamoiseau has a magic all his own. I've tried (unsuccessfully) to learn French just to read it in its original language.

Favorite Sci-Fi Movie: Blade Runner and the other classics. My favorite (right now) that doesn't get quite as much attention? Existenz

Post-apocalyptic: Tank Girl. Well, not really. But I loved it as a kid, and just re-watched it and loved thinking about how it capitalized on riot grrrl culture and its portrayal of race. It's such a mid-90s movie. Right now, my actual favorite post-apocalyptic tv series is probably Shin seki yori.