The story of My Brilliant Friend revolves around the friendship of Elena and Lila, while also touching on the themes of gender, poverty, and class. Elena, the narrator of this book, is a studious girl who excels in school. She is a typical “good” girl who follows expectations and does what she is told. On the other hand, Lila is a girl who refuses to conform with societal norms and is incredibly intelligent. Although Elena and Lila seem to be completely different, they become best friends. The story unfolds through them going to elementary school together, a time when they did almost everything together, to when their paths diverged with education being the catalyst. In the book, the decision of going to school is a turning point for Elena and Lila’s friendship. Despite both doing well in school, only Elena goes on to middle school. At the same time, this event also reveals the underlying issues of poverty and gender. Lila’s family cannot financially support her education, and her father does not see the purpose in a girl attending school. The narrator manages to very subtly portray the reality concerning such issues while focusing on the girls’ friendship. 

One aspect I really enjoyed is how the narrator manages to accurately portray Elena’s innermost thoughts and emotions. This provides insight to the complex nature of the character, which allows readers to effectively engage with the story as we follow alongside her, feeling a sense of involvement as the plot develops. Furthermore, this depiction also allows me to resonate with Elena. Out of the countless memories that Elena has with Lila, the account of Carmela joining the two girls is particularly poignant. Elena says used the quote: “If I noticed that she tended to be closer to Carmela I suffered and wanted to go home (80)” to describe the sense of jealousy and insecurity she felt from Lila getting closer with Carmela. This part stood out to me immediately because I also had similar experiences feeling left out but also having to be stuck between my friend and her other friend. The narrator precisely portrays the disappointed feelings that arise from being neglected and wanting to escape the situation by “going home”. Here, Elena’s internal conflict is portrayed, and it reflects the complex nature of friendship. 

It came as a surprise for me when Lila said to Elena that she was her “brilliant friend”. Throughout the novel, we know from the narrator that Elena views Lila to be “brilliant”. She is intelligent, courageous, and ambitious, and Elena admires these qualities of her. They serve to be the factors motivating her to push her beyond her comfort zone. However, in a way, these qualities also shape the competitive nature of the girls’ friendship. Perhaps because of the complex nature of their friendship, it was unexpected that Lila would openly acknowledge her admiration to her friend. Both Elena and Lila acknowledge each other to be “brilliant”, and this frames how special they are to each other. 

My question for this week is what are your thoughts regarding the friendship between Elena and Lila?