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

The prose is so beautiful, that's why I love Ferrante's novels. But I didn't like the story in this one as much as some of the other books I've read by her, even though it has many of the same themes: adolescence in mid-century Naples, manipulative women, first-person narrator, female friendship, sexuality. I think I didn't like it because I felt like the MC was doing things that I myself would regret and then feel anxious about for the rest of my life. It made me feel uncomfortable.

Food pairing: espresso and biscotti (as appears in a key scene towards the end). But MC and her father frequently eat fried street food together that I don't remember the name of— sfogliatella or sgagliozze perhaps.