MY BRILLIANT FRIEND by Elena Ferrante (fic)

Elena Ferrante has received a lot of praise and print space lately with the publication of the third book in her Neapolitan trilogy which may have a fourth book added.  "My Brilliant Friend" is the first book in the series.  This novel is just as brilliant as the title.  It is a beautifully written and finely drawn story about female friendship and growing up poor in southern Italy.  It is an extraordinary book that the reader will devour quickly despite its length, savoring every moment of delicious reading.

This is the story of the life long friendship of two young girls, Elena and Lila, in 1950s Naples.  The area of the city they live in is like a small village whose inhabitants never leave.  They speak in their own dialect, and even those who go to school and learn classic Italian speech revert to their own patois when among their friends and family, or when they have something important or emotional to convey. The families in this village are deeply entwined through marriage and close living.  They know each other's business, they gossip and feud and have strong opinions.  Enmity and offense last through generations, and they strongly feel their cultural separateness from Italians north of Naples.  The story is filled with the violence of their lives, with jealousy, love, celebration and sadness. There is a sense of guilt left over from World War II and the shame of families who profited by the war.

Without giving away the plot, there comes a time when the girls take separate paths in their lives.  Their friendship, however, survives.  To break out of the culture they were born into is difficult and each tries to do this in a different way.  They are daughters of poor and simple folk who fear change. The story is narrated to the reader by Elena who carries the same name as the author.  While she clearly feels inferior to Lila and defers to her throughout the story, it becomes clear to the reader, that both girls are brilliant and that Elena grows wise in a different way from Lila.

There is some mystery surrounding the author, Ferrante.  As the author has never granted an interview in person, there is speculation that the author is a male.  It is difficult to imagine that a male could enter so thoroughly into the mind of the female characters who are so truthfully drawn. I believe the author can only be a female.  Women who read this novel will find the lives of these young girls as real as their own. That is not to say men cannot enjoy the novel as well.  This is not chick lit.  It is a beautifully written story that will stay with the reader for a long time and leave her or him looking forward to the next book in the series.  I highly recommend this novel to all who love good literature. There is much to discuss for book groups as well.