Reseña de My Brilliant Friend por Josh

Elena Ferrante is a skilled prose writer. She has good ear for dialogue and for the subtle nuance of social interactions. She effectively portrays what it felt like to be a girl from a poor family growing up in Naples in the 1950s.

The book reminded me a bit of Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood. Both are framed as the reminiscences of old women reflecting back on their childhood relationships, primarily with other girls. If Atwood and Ferrante are to be believed (and I reckon they are) the friendships of girls are an emotional rollercoaster.

One essential difference between the stories is that in Atwood's Canada the abusive nature of the relationship between the protagonist and her friends stands in contrast with the relatively safe world she live in. By contrast, Ferrante's Naples is insanely violent and the relationship between the girls is clearly shaped (distorted?) by this culture of violence, fear, and Catholic guilt (Religion isn't much talked about, but in Italy there’s always a cathedral looming in the background).

Both Lenù (narrator) and Lila (BFF) are beaten by their fathers, who repeatedly tell the girls that if they misbehave they'll kill them, or break every bone in their bodies. Male-on-male violence is more frequent and severe, but it too often revolves around women. This was largely because of a code of conduct that either sanctioned or required men to fight in all manner of circumstances, many of which had to do with defending the “honor and reputation” of women.

The women in the story rarely engage in violence directly and frequently seem frustrated or upset by male violence. But neither do they play a passive a role in cultural violence. At one point Lenù's mother insists that her father beat her to punish her for some infraction. Her father feels bad and doesn’t to beat his daughter, so he beats his wife instead for nagging him. Later in the story, an embittered and aggressive suitor of Lila's spreads false rumors that she gave him a blowjob. In response, her friends beat him nearly to death and set his car on fire, which seems kind of like overkill.

I gave the book 4 stars because Ferrante's prose is truly impeccable. If the writing wasn't so damn good, the story would have been dreadfully depressing. Most of the characters are unhappy and scared most of the time. Despite all of the men protecting them and seeking to ensure their happiness, nobody seems to feel very safe or happy.