“My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)

This is the first of four books in the anonymous author’s Neapolitan Novels quartet. I cannot recommend this book enough. It details the intertwined lives of two young girls growing up on the streets of a lower class Naples neighborhood infested by the Camorra, as well as your run of the mill street thugs. The style of writing has been compared to Knausgaard in its detail, but I find Ferrante incomparably more readable. The psychological aspects of the friendship of two young women as they struggle with adolescence amid their toxic milieu add vibrancy to the most mundane of everyday occurrences. Lina is the homely, bookish narrator, somewhat in awe of her friend. Lila is the radiant star pupil, who also enchants with her rare beauty. She dominates and captivates Lina, who dutifully plays second fiddle in their friendship. There are rivalries between the two in school and in romance, but, through all their trials, there is a bond of love that endures. The quality of each and every sentence is impressive, reminding one of verse written as prose (if that makes any sense). This is a gripping tale as lovely for its descriptions as its story.