I really enjoyed this book. Maybe the most interesting (hey, I’ve used this word in all my blogs so far, why break the trend now?) thing I found in this story was the relationship between Elena and Lila. With both of them beginning in a poor neighbourhood in 1950s Naples, there is an seemingly unbreakable bond forged between the two girls as they learn to care for and rely on each other. It is an unconventional friendship as is expected from less than comfortable beginnings but the reader sees the way it grows, contracting and expanding but never breaking as the girls grow, highlighting not only a girl’s journey into womanhood but also the growth of a nation while simultaneously focusing on the lesser known sides of friendship. Despite Elena being more financially stable and Lila not being as fortunate in the cards life dealt her, the initial discomfort and scrapes between the two clear up as they learn to navigate what seems, at the beginning, to be an unlikely friendship.
I did find myself wondering if maybe Lila was friends with Elena only for her money- after all, if she was, who could blame her, given her situation? ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures,’ as the old saying goes. But I think, despite her rough edges, Lila genuinely does care for Elena and Elena learns to look out for her friend too without pitying her. However, I wouldn’t say it’s a completely pure friendship, since both girls seem naturally inclined to compete with each other, tainting their bond with confusion and hurt to the point of being toxic at times.
I have to say, this was a good book to end the course with. Ferrante’s writing flows easily and while it is definitely not a light read in any way given the shocking nature of incidents such as the normalised violence against children, it is definitely enlightening about the circumstances the girls live in and what society was like in Italy then.
My question for the class is, how would you place Elena and Lila’s growth against the coming of age of the society and nation they live in?
Thank you for your post, Chiara!
I have also enjoyed this reading, and I agree that it is an excellent way to end the course.
As for whether Lila is Elena’s friend because of the money, I’m not sure that’s the case. In fact, Lila ends up being financially more comfortable than Elena (for example, she helps her when her glasses break and then offers her money at the end so that she can continue studying).
Money (and power) and education somehow meant a way out of this situation of misery and violence. And they chose different paths, despite the expectations that we might have at the beginning.