My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is a novel about the lifelong friendship between two girls growing up in a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples in the 50’s where poverty and violence is the norm. Ferrante captures the feeling of the neighborhood, the struggles both girls face trying to educate themselves and rise above their circumstances. They each do so in different ways, yet remain bound to each other nonetheless.

Beautifully written, Ferrante is a great storyteller and captures the place wonderfully. However, this is the first in the series of four, so it leaves the reader hanging at the end.