Quicksand

The orphan of a Danish mother and a West Indian father, Helga Crane is a young woman caught between cultures and in search of a home.Though her beauty and education open many doors, as a biracial woman in 1920s America, Helga is accepted by neither the Black nor the white communities - insteadremainingan object of curiosityand an outsider wherever she goes. Her furious quest for belongingwill take her from Chicagoto New Yorkto Denmark: a journey rife with autobiographical parallels to Larsen's own life.

With itsastonishingly contemporary take on identity and an angry, rebellious heroine,Quicksandis a classic novel ripe for rediscovery.