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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Wow pretty incredible. Sludge lagoon. It reminds me a lot of [b:A Personal Matter|25191|A Personal Matter|Kenzaburō Ōe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328822587l/25191._SY75_.jpg|1559717].
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Abandonment
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
narrator is unreliable and often times very hard to like.
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“He was going through one of those moments that you read about in books, when a character reacts in an unexpectedly extreme way to the normal discontents of living.”
The Days of Abandonment explores one of the oldest tropes: the wife left for a younger woman. Yet, Ferrante breathes such raw vitality into this premise that it transcends its familiarity, becoming a story as visceral as it is profound.
The central figure, Olga, is the beating heart of this brief yet intense novel. From beginning to end, the narrative is steeped in her psyche, every twist and turn shaped by her mental and emotional state. The novel doesn’t merely describe Olga’s journey; it embodies her turmoil. With the first line—“One April afternoon, right after lunch, my husband announced that he wanted to leave me”—we’re thrust into the violent fracture of her life. From this rupture, the rest of the story unfolds in an unflinching attempt to gather the pieces. This isn’t a tale of simple heartbreak. Ferrante immerses us in the relentless, unfiltered cascade of Olga’s emotions, each one rawer than the last. She isn’t merely “sad.” She’s adrift, disoriented, raging, primal, vulnerable, vengeful, desperate—a symphony of emotions that seem to warp the pages under their weight. Ferrante takes us to Olga’s lowest depths and insists we stay. There’s a section in the middle of the book, spanning a single day, where Olga’s relentless efforts to stabilize herself turn harrowing, with each chapter leaving her—and us—reeling.
As stunning and vivid as this novel is, it’s also a challenging read—like clawing through chaos and finally emerging, gasping for air. Yet, precisely because of its intensity, it’s a novel worth the experience. Ferrante doesn’t try to subvert the cliché of the abandoned woman; instead, she delves into the devastation, revealing the full spectrum of its impact. Olga, Ferrante, and the reader all know the cliché, and yet the pain remains as piercing as ever. And that’s precisely the point: The Days of Abandonment doesn’t seek to reinvent this trope but rather to dissect its brutal reality, illustrating how marital abandonment is more than a clean separation—it’s a violent tearing, with shrapnel piercing every facet of life: psychological, emotional, intellectual, financial, logistical.
✨✨✨✨✨
“It was really true, there was no longer anything about him that could interest me. He wasn't even a fragment of the past, he was only a stain, like the print of a hand left years ago on a wall.”
The Days of Abandonment explores one of the oldest tropes: the wife left for a younger woman. Yet, Ferrante breathes such raw vitality into this premise that it transcends its familiarity, becoming a story as visceral as it is profound.
The central figure, Olga, is the beating heart of this brief yet intense novel. From beginning to end, the narrative is steeped in her psyche, every twist and turn shaped by her mental and emotional state. The novel doesn’t merely describe Olga’s journey; it embodies her turmoil. With the first line—“One April afternoon, right after lunch, my husband announced that he wanted to leave me”—we’re thrust into the violent fracture of her life. From this rupture, the rest of the story unfolds in an unflinching attempt to gather the pieces. This isn’t a tale of simple heartbreak. Ferrante immerses us in the relentless, unfiltered cascade of Olga’s emotions, each one rawer than the last. She isn’t merely “sad.” She’s adrift, disoriented, raging, primal, vulnerable, vengeful, desperate—a symphony of emotions that seem to warp the pages under their weight. Ferrante takes us to Olga’s lowest depths and insists we stay. There’s a section in the middle of the book, spanning a single day, where Olga’s relentless efforts to stabilize herself turn harrowing, with each chapter leaving her—and us—reeling.
As stunning and vivid as this novel is, it’s also a challenging read—like clawing through chaos and finally emerging, gasping for air. Yet, precisely because of its intensity, it’s a novel worth the experience. Ferrante doesn’t try to subvert the cliché of the abandoned woman; instead, she delves into the devastation, revealing the full spectrum of its impact. Olga, Ferrante, and the reader all know the cliché, and yet the pain remains as piercing as ever. And that’s precisely the point: The Days of Abandonment doesn’t seek to reinvent this trope but rather to dissect its brutal reality, illustrating how marital abandonment is more than a clean separation—it’s a violent tearing, with shrapnel piercing every facet of life: psychological, emotional, intellectual, financial, logistical.
✨✨✨✨✨
“It was really true, there was no longer anything about him that could interest me. He wasn't even a fragment of the past, he was only a stain, like the print of a hand left years ago on a wall.”
Incredible writing, as with every Ferrante book. Such a visceral and distressing and upsetting read.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Yet another astonishing novel from the magical Elena Ferrante where, once again, she could effortlessly navigate the inner world of a person who has been abandoned by her partner. She is left with responsibilities, and a debilitating doubt about her own value, struggling to find meaning in anything that surrounds her. Ferrante has the rare ability to use a simple linear narrative to weave an ever increasing complex inner world. She would make you wish that you had the power to express yourself the way she can. She would make you believe that your life could have been subtly different if you could express yourself with such clarity and sincerity.
In an otherwise perfect experience, the only regret I have is about the part where everything starts breaking down for the main character. It is only here where some of the situations seemed a little contrived. It is the only time where I could see the gossamer strings in the author’s hand, trying to make her characters move. Art, to me, is all about manipulating the audience, but it only works when we cannot see the manipulator or the strings she is using. Ferrante is usually perfect, but I feel there were a few moments in this novel where I could see her delicate hand.
In an otherwise perfect experience, the only regret I have is about the part where everything starts breaking down for the main character. It is only here where some of the situations seemed a little contrived. It is the only time where I could see the gossamer strings in the author’s hand, trying to make her characters move. Art, to me, is all about manipulating the audience, but it only works when we cannot see the manipulator or the strings she is using. Ferrante is usually perfect, but I feel there were a few moments in this novel where I could see her delicate hand.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes