Okay, so I finished reading Agostino, and I would definitely say that I have some mixed feelings about this novel (to say the least). It is absolutely a novel about coming of age, class, self-discovery, but has some other themes such as love, lust, brutality, and low-key incest. I particularly enjoyed how it was written; I think that Moravia (or maybe the translated version of Moravia) does a really good job at engaging the reader by painting a clear picture, all while accurately describing the feelings and thoughts of the main character. Now with regards to Agostino’s feelings and development, I really found that to be a very important part of the story. I found that Agostino’s coming of age development had quite a bit of layers to it. Personally, I found his affection for his mother to be slightly off-putting, and quite oedipus-like. Although he attempts to grow out of it naturally, I interpreted the spite he had for his mother as stemming from his subconscious and incessant love for her. His possession for her is almost obsessive, to the point where I found it a little crazy, because it seems slightly abnormal. There is a lot to unpack with regards to the possessiveness over his mother. To be honest with you, I think Freud would very much approve of how the main character was written, because that was essentially what he was all about. I am not opposed to reading a novel that integrates themes like such, but it seems to be a very very permeating topic, to the point where I got a bit tired of it. Nevertheless, I think that this theme speaks to who Agostino was and the innocence that he holds, specifically at the beginning of the novel and then towards the middle. Agostino is incredibly sheltered and privileged, which leads me to discuss the topic of class within the novel. Berto and the gang are evidently lower class than Agostino, and I found it very interesting how he really gained a different perspective by hanging out with them. A scene I found particularly interesting was when the boys start pestering Agostino about his lavish lifestyle and what it would be like to live as fancily as him. For him to speak so highly of it, and for the boys to recognize that that lifestyle was so out of reach was something that really stuck out to me. Agostino seems so sheltered, which I think could speak to his upbringing. By juxtaposing the two types of characters, I found a lot of differences (such as class, ways of communicating, acting, and essentially living life), and in some ways found similarities (the ability to be frustrated by certain things, the ability to make connections and to want to fit in with the group). I really thought Berto’s character was interesting, because I originally thought that he was a tough guy who ran the group, but found that there was more complexity to him and his place within the gang. The aspects of the book that I particularly enjoyed were the engagements with Agostino and the gang, how their relationship sort of grew, and how they helped him grow. What I didn’t particularly love was the infatuation Agostino had with his mother, and that strange relationship Saro had with Agostino, Homs and the gang in general. There were many nods to his ‘paternal’ relationship with them, and that rubbed me the wrong way. The book had many ups and downs for me, which made me question the significance and importance of them within the development of the novel. Could Agostino have been written without such significant nods towards freudianism and perversion in order to have the same effect on the readers? Would readers be able to understand the importance of his development as a character if those underlying themes not been integrated into the novel? That is a question that’s been riddling my mind, and I don’t know if I even have an answer for that. However, if that were to ever be the case, I would much rather read that book. Nevertheless, I can say I had an interesting time reading Agostino, but I would not recommend it for everyone.