This week I decided to read My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. I thought it was an enjoyable read. I found the short chapters very motivating to keep engaged. I’m the type of the person to track my reading by setting time to finish a few chapters. For this book, it was easy to convince myself to read one more and made me believe I was a fast reader. I also thought the beginning of each chapter was intriguing since most started off with very short sentences. I must add in, I was very grateful for the character index at the beginning of the book to refer to if I ever get lost with names and forget everyone.
One thing that caught my eye is the opening of chapter 3. “I looked at my e-mail, at my regular mail, but not with any hope”. This made me question what period this book is set in. In comparison to the other books we’ve read, it’s been somewhat obvious due to war and other clues. Another scene that caught my attention is when Lila says, “[a]dvice about my wedding dress. Please, don’t say no, because if you don’t come I’ll murder my sister-in-law and mother-in-law”. This made me think of the TV show “Say Yes to the Dress” because of the conflict between Lila and her mother-in-law. The show is all about finding the perfect wedding dress and how drama is part of the journey. The show also highlights how the bride’s support system influences her opinions about the dress.
“At a certain point school is over,” Elena replies. “Not for you,” Lila says, “you’re my brilliant friend, you have to be the best of all, boys and girls”. The lecture highlighted this statement as it refers to the title but also because “it should apply to Elena and not Lila” (Beasley-Murray, 2022). I pondered about the questions Professor asked within the video. This made me analyze their friendship. Their relationship seems filled with jealousy and toxicity. I think those traits were showcased when she said, “you have to be the best of all”. If one of my friends said that I would take it almost like they’re saying it in a passive-aggressive tone.
Now the reference to the title was mentioned within the class lecture but I’m curious as to why do you think some authors decide to say this closer to the end rather than a different part of the novel? Along with, I’ve noticed in the past couple books that the title is only mentioned once within the whole book, why do you think that is?
Thanks for your post, Arielle.
Finding out towards the end that the brilliant friend is the narrator is one of the most interesting moments of the novel. When we all think it’s Lila, it’s finally Elena, or at least it’s the only time that expression is mentioned. And at the end is Elena, who, let’s say, is “successful,” or at least leaves the neighbourhood and lives in Turin, in the north.
The first chapter is contemporary to us, that’s why the e-mail appears, but then it recapitulates around the 50s, in his childhood with Lila.
Hi Arielle,
I wonder if there is an unspoken rule that it is more powerful to conclude a book with the name of the title, as it is like a finish line that we cross when we finally see the title again? That’s really interesting. I like how you make references outside of this course, and if you are ever bored and want to find out more about mother-in-law drama, the Reddit thread r/JUSTNOMIL is really funny to read. Also, your attention to detail about the email was something I feel as though I should have noticed but didn’t. Thanks for pointing that out!
Hi Arielle! Thanks for the blog post!! I also found the character index super helpful, as it was often really hard for me to remember all of the characters and relationships. I found it powerful that Ferrante chose to only say “my brilliant friend” once during the story and also towards the end of the book. I thought this allowed readers to reflect on the title while reading and create suspense. It also allowed for surprise and excitement towards the end, as I assume that most readers (including myself) would have expected the “brilliant friend” to be Lila. Thanks!