Reviews

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long time. I would pass it on the shelf at the bookstore and it would stare at me like a sad puppy at the animal shelter. Why won’t you read me? Each time I turned away and shaded my eyes, mumbling that I had other books I needed to read first. My Brilliant Friend’s moment finally came when a used copy was donated to the thrift shop.

I was fascinated by this author in particular and her background. Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym, and the author remains anonymous. Her books are all originally written in Italian (which is of interest to me, since I am Italian-American), and her books are all highly lauded. This book could be easily included in the canon of literature taught in schools.

I enjoyed reading this book. The narrative was captivating, and pieces of the story came full circle at the end. I read this in 3 days, and was shattered when the story ended on a huge cliffhanger.

However, I also felt… uneasy. Throughout the book the narrator emphasizes the world of violence and death she grew up in. If someone says they will kill you, they mean it. Feuding and retribution are accepted as normal. This constant violence and the building tension did not sit well with me. I understand why this book was written this way (Naples in the 1950s is of course different than my life today). It gave me the same feeling I had when reading Nevernight, a very different book than this one, which has a lot of violence and gore.

Lenu half-heartedly wants to escape this violent world, and follows Lina because she believes Lina will lead her away. And yet the beginnings of their relationship is also fraught with violence.

This story is almost unbearably honest about the truths of growing up and the effects of classism. The relationship between Lila and Lenu is one of extreme dependence and a battle to be superior. There are many indications that Lila is symbolically a demon that causes the world around her to be disrupted.

Honestly, the story was overwhelming. I was surprised that the book ends only when they turn 16. I felt like I speedran living a whole life.

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2.0

there are decent 3 star books and bad 3 star books…this was a bad one (for me <3). It’s so disappointing when you don’t like a book that everyone else does. This just felt so repetitive, the main girls compete with one another and the guys fight over them. Constant toxic relationships..I get it, just not for me.

actually on second thought I’m making this a 2.