Passing Strange

Starred review from December 5, 2016
Klages (Portable Childhoods) draws a loving portrait of 1930s queer San Francisco in this deftly crafted tale of love, solidarity, and magic brought full circle. In the present day, Helen Young sells the last, lost work of famous pulp cover artist Haskel to an unethical art dealer who’s due for a comeuppance. Haskel was famous for art showing evocatively gruesome villains threatening lovely young ladies, but his last painting instead depicts the heroine of a romantic story. The narrative then goes back in time to cover the events leading up to Haskel’s final painting and abrupt career end, introducing a charming cast of queer women working as lawyers, singers, mathematicians, and witches. Emily, a newcomer to the group, crosses Haskel’s path by coincidence; the two fall into a whirlwind romance that ultimately requires the support and skills of all their friends to see through. Klages folds history and the modern world into a thoroughly satisfying novella that’s rich in detail, warm in regard, and clever in execution.

January 1, 2017
In 1940, San Francisco is filled with outcasts and tourists seeking excitement, home to Chinatown and the World's Fair. A group of six bohemian women enjoy a safe harbor in each other's company: Franny and Babs work together to test the limits of location magic; Helen practices law and works as a nightclub dancer in a Chinese cabaret; Polly is a scientist and exile from an England at war; and pulp-cover artist Haskel falls in love with Emily, a nightclub singer. Focusing on Haskel and Emily, Klages deftly weaves each thread to a climax both bittersweet and empowering while demonstrating historical knowledge and immense fondness for her subjects and setting. For fans of speculative fiction with a strong sense of place.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)