2019/137: Passing Strange -- Ellen Klages

“They make it look so easy, like they were an actual married couple.” She frowned.“At Mona’s, the regulars seem to think they have to pick--who’s the boy, who’s the girl. Babs and Franny aren’t like that. They’re just two women sharing a life together.”
“I know. If I’m in pants, I must be butch. If I wear my hair down, or have lipstick on, I’m a femme.”
“One customer told me that I had to choose, or I wasn’t really --" [p. 133]

Set in San Francisco in 1940, with a framing narrative in a contemporary setting, this is the love story of a comic-cover artist and a cross-dressing nightclub singer. Haskel and Emily are introduced by mutual friends, all habituees of Mona's club, a piano bar where women can be themselves: that is, where lesbians can be 'out'. It's not legal, of course, and Emily learns the tricks of the game, such as wearing three items of women's clothing if you're dressing as a man. (“The law says women can’t dress like men. If the cops check, and you’re wearing three bits of ladies’ duds, you’re in the clear.” [p. 81]) The law is not the only thing the women have to be cautious of: there are bigoted tourists, repressive parents, an ex-husband who doesn't think it's fair that a woman earns more than he does.

But there is also magic. One of the women, Franny, can create small localised wormholes that will take the bearer to another location -- no more than a mile or so, and always within the city, but it's enough. And it's one of the small deceptions that inform each character. They are all 'passing strange', all pretending to be something, or hiding a part of what they are. Helen has Japanese ancestry, considers herself American, but is employed as a dancer in a China-themed club; Haskel works under her surname and is assumed to be male, Emily dresses as a man ...

The women of the Circle feel relatable, and the city of San Francisco is vividly drawn: the World's Fair, the bars and dives of Chinatown, the quiet shady streets and vertiginous hills. (And a cameo by Diego Rivera!) It's Haskel and Emily on whom the story pivots: their grand romance, an unfortunate encounter, their daring escape. A sweet love story with just a hint of magic and a great deal of period detail.