This book is the first in a four book series exploring a lifelong friendship between two women living in post-war Napoli. Elena, the narrator, is constantly in the shadow of Lila, her closest friend who at times depends on Elena more than anyone else in her life and at other times deliberately and sometimes cruelly pushes her aside. But they never seem to stop circling around each other.
The book's framing is that of an older Elena looking back on their relationship through the years after Lila has deliberately made herself disappear. It focus on their childhood and teenage years, on their experiences in school together and romances and adventures. By the end of the book it feels startlingly clear that they are each other's great loves, and whether that would express itself in a sexual and romantic relationship in another place or time seems like an open (and obvious) question. It is the sort of close friendship between women that instinctively leads to the "do I want to be her or be with her" question, and I'm curious to see how that question will evolve (or not) in future books.
The writing is exceptional in its simplicity; the translation from the Italian feels so natural and easy, and reading it takes no effort at all, except for when it digs into feelings that are so sharp they almost hurt. It's very much an experiential novel, where what happens is less important at times then how it's told.
One other fundamental aspect about this book is what it is to be a girl and then a woman in this world, and the implied reflection on those realities from a distance. Part of this is surely down to the political environment of being a woman living through the 2016 U.S. Presidential race, but I found myself getting so angry on behalf of these girls so frequently, simply because their experiences feel so truthful to me. Sometimes I feel like the real struggle of this year is watching all of the euphemisms we've relied on to soften reality get torn away, and while I think it's important for reality and pain to be exposed and dealt with honestly, at times it's hard to see that through the rage I feel.
Grade: A
The book's framing is that of an older Elena looking back on their relationship through the years after Lila has deliberately made herself disappear. It focus on their childhood and teenage years, on their experiences in school together and romances and adventures. By the end of the book it feels startlingly clear that they are each other's great loves, and whether that would express itself in a sexual and romantic relationship in another place or time seems like an open (and obvious) question. It is the sort of close friendship between women that instinctively leads to the "do I want to be her or be with her" question, and I'm curious to see how that question will evolve (or not) in future books.
The writing is exceptional in its simplicity; the translation from the Italian feels so natural and easy, and reading it takes no effort at all, except for when it digs into feelings that are so sharp they almost hurt. It's very much an experiential novel, where what happens is less important at times then how it's told.
One other fundamental aspect about this book is what it is to be a girl and then a woman in this world, and the implied reflection on those realities from a distance. Part of this is surely down to the political environment of being a woman living through the 2016 U.S. Presidential race, but I found myself getting so angry on behalf of these girls so frequently, simply because their experiences feel so truthful to me. Sometimes I feel like the real struggle of this year is watching all of the euphemisms we've relied on to soften reality get torn away, and while I think it's important for reality and pain to be exposed and dealt with honestly, at times it's hard to see that through the rage I feel.
Grade: A
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