My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is not the type of book to which I’m typically drawn. (This post may contain affiliate links; as an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See disclosure here.) If I’m in the mood for a slow-moving character study (much like selecting a french film over a fast-paced American action movie), then I’m more likely to pull a William Faulkner novel from the shelf and lose myself in the slow drawls and sultry details of the south. Certainly not a thick book translated from its original Italian.
Don’t be fooled, folks. This is not just another coming of age tale set in the cobblestone streets of war-torn Europe. This is a fascinating study of a friendship between two pubescent girls. Told through the eyes of Elena, it is often more the story of Lila, her small yet commanding friend.
I read this novel during a trip to the south of France, so perhaps my immersion in the beautiful old architecture of the Provence brought Elena’s tale to life for me even more. Nonetheless, I was enthralled with not only the cacophony but the wisdom of the narrator’s words and observations. I saw myself in Lila, and I related to the bittersweet lessons we all – regardless of our nationality – face as we strive to navigate the journey from childhood to adulthood. 
