I have just finished reading what I must put as my best read of 2025. It is a while since I enjoyed a work of literary fiction so much.

Part 1 of Ferrante’s Neapolitan series, entitled My Brilliant Friend, examines the close friendship of two little girls growing up in a poor area of Naples, Italy, at the end of the 1950’s.

Elena Ferrante, the author, tells the story of Elena Greco, possibly her own story, and her absolute dependence and love for the slightly older girl, Lila Cerullo. She looks up to Lila for reassurance about everything – her appearance, her studying, the books she should read, her thoughts about the world etc Then gradually the two girls blossom into adolescence and things slowly begin to change. At first they both have various friendships with boys, with Elena always feeling in Lila’s shadow. Then Lila becomes involved with the grocer’s family and the oldest son, Stefano Carraci. He is part of the richest family in the neighborhood but we’re not really sure how the family have come into so much wealth. By this time, Lila has left primary school and not enrolled in high school like Elena. So while Elena continues to read and study hard, Lila becomes content to be at home and focuses instead on the wealth and possessions of Stefano and the Carraci family. Lila now sees her status in the things she has – a house of her own, a bathtub, a refridgerator, a television and a telephone – things unknown to the community around her at this time. These things appear to have taken a greater precedence in her life than the study and learning that she and Elena shared. For the first time Elena seems to recognise that with her spectacles and her study she has in some way outgrown not only her friend, Lila, but the community around her.

A compulsive, psychological study of the experience of two young girls translated from the Italian and part of a series. I found myself involved in Elena’s story, sharing her thoughts and insecurities. The book transports you to the streets of Naples in a certain time frame.

I can’t wait to read the others by this surprisingly good modern writer.