My Brilliant Friend is the first book in a series of four (the second of which is already sitting on my bedside table) from an author who kept her identity in secret for many years. I had no idea of that, or even any hint of the story, when I started reading it.
The book was a birthday gift from a person who seemed to really love it. Since I know she likes good literature, I started reading with confidence, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed!
Childhood Friends
The story is about two really different friends, living in a poor neighborhood near Naples. They grow up dealing with poverty, lack of education and money, violence surrounding them, and, like any other person, they have their own egos to deal with.
Throughout the book, we’ll see them deal with both forces that unite them and those that tear them apart. The atmosphere around them reflects a reality I had only heard about in my mother’s or grandmother’s stories, but I think that actually helped me develop an affinity for the characters.
We feel involved in the story and the characters almost without notice. We go from “I’m not sure what’s happening here” to “Oh God, what is going to happen next?” at a moment’s notice.
The story is about friendship, but it doesn’t merely stick to that. It’s about dreams and life choices, and how to deal with the consequences of both.
Reality Stroke
I like the strength it transmits, the idea of fighting for what you want, but also the feeling of reality it also gives us, the way it says that even fighting with all we have, sometimes, it just isn’t possible.
Elena Ferrante doesn't write about living happily ever after; it’s all about fighting for every second of happiness you can get.
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