I don't understand how anyone can say it's not about race. The plot literally disappears without it. Does it cover every aspect of the mixed race experience? Of course not, it's just one rather short book, but if you tried to take out all the elements that relate to race you'd have precious little left.
Some good points about the ending but i still feel Irene pushed her. Not in a premeditated way but as a sudden impulse, an overflowing of her growing frustration and jealousy.
I must admit I pictured the scene with Jack across the room from Clare and so didn't consider him a possible 'pusher'. Looking at it again it does say he "pushed past them all into the room and strode towards Clare". However it also says that Felise put herself between Clare and Jack, and we don't see her step or pushed aside after that.
The line about her never letting herself remember might be more ambiguous if it weren't preceded by this:
Quote:
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It was that smile that maddened Irene. She ran across the room, her terror tinged with ferocity, and laid a hand on Clare’s bare arm. One thought possessed her. She couldn’t have Clare Kendry cast aside by Bellew. She couldn’t have her free.
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She's clearly not passive here, she
runs across the room, she's only thinking that Clare must not be "free", she lays a hand on Clare so her action is directed toward her not Jack or the others. What's the only way she can act on this consuming thought? There's nothing she can
say that will cause Jack to not reject her. She can't somehow declare that Clare is white after all. Even if she could she'd direct her efforts at Jack not Clare. So, to me, the only impulse that makes sense in that moment is that she wants to remove Clare completely.
That said, I have two caveats to that. First I think it's clear that Irene has an unreliable view of reality. On almost no evidence, Brian invites Clare to tea, she quickly becomes convinced they are having an affair and is desperate to stop them. Second I don't think she has fully thought through her actions described above. I think she has an emotional reaction, a half-formed thought about stopping Clare and she runs forward and grabs her arm.
So it's possible she didn't intend to push her. It's possible that that's just what she thinks happened. However at best I'd say she's culpable to a lower degree, maybe manslaughter. At absolute best it's an accident that she precipitated.