A review by dreaminfables
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Giovanna and the reader are brought to this play of sorts, which is formative of her adolescence and shaped by the liberal freedom of a household that encourages a democratic exchange of ideas and hides beneath a sterile observation of events that affect it. Giovanna’s father is extremely fond of her. So when she overhears him calling her ugly and with contempt comparing her to his sister Vittoria, the black sheep of the family who is seldom acknowledged as a connection, it fills Giovanna with existential dread. She embarks on a journey to learn more about this aunt of hers, to find out the ways and mannerisms in which they could be alike and uncovers many secrets along the way.

Growing up is realising that the world crafted by the security of comfortable upbringing is covered in a shimmering silk of an intricate web of lies, lies told by adults to others and to themselves. Adolescence is brutal as although it takes away the safety net of what we know and yet captivates us with the net’s estranged threads.

Ferrante’s writing intrigued me and held me within the storyline. It brought to mind late afternoons spent pouring over old photographs and reminiscing the old days with fresh perspectives. We are offered a clever depiction of a family falling apart from the perspective of a girl learning to examine the truth of her own being. Giovanna’s thoughts and feelings are constantly in a conflict brought by the two structures of her life. While her parents take pride in their intellect, careful reasoning and good-will to help Giovanna form her own worldview, her aunt brings into her life raw emotion of a suggestive nature that makes her equally mesmerised and appalled.

The book brought me joy, sadness and helped me revisit the murky waters of my own adolescence with a gentler perspective. It made an excellent read for that purpose alone.