Elena Ferrante’s women and girls are desiring beings; they lust and hunger for knowledge, for men, for independence. Within them, though, is conflict surrounding their insatiable needs for these things and the constraints of Italian society — family, church, poverty, the mob.
Fans of Ferrante’s extravagant, page-turning quartet will absolutely not be disappointed in her latest, The Lying Life of Adults. Like her acclaimed series, this book takes place in Naples and the narrator is a young girl — in this case, one wanting to lose her virginity in the least disgraceful way possible, but at the same time, in love with a boy who is engaged to another.
If you’re *really* obsessive, you may want to find a copy of the 1906 novel “A Woman” by Sibilia Aleramo. Ah Italian classic, this racy novel written from a young girl’s perspective was an influence on Ferrante. I’ve just started it and... hooked.
I’ll say it here, a life dream is to interview Ferrante in person.