A review by nepheloma
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a book that I think anyone who has been a teenager at some point could relate to. The teenage angst and rebellion is depicted very truthfully and without shying away to the bad parts of it, including how selfish one's rebellion can be at times. The breaking of a family, the estrangement with ones parents and the search for some kind of found family in other people are central to the plot and felt very well executed. There are some problematic aspects to the plot, especially how adult characters end up being romantically involved with teenagers, but I think that it is also clearly proven in the book that these relationships do more harm than good to the minors involved. I really liked the book's ending and I thought it was very fitting to everything that happened, and in general every plot point was very real and the characters were all flawed, but extremely well-written and multidimensional.
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