‘We Were Girls Together’; A Review of My Brilliant Friend

Welcome to the last book review of the semester! This week I read My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, and I am so happy this was the last book. It is a coming-of-age book (so on brand for this class) about two girls in a poor neighbourhood in Naples. The story starts with an older Elena Greco sitting down to write the story of her friendship with Lila after she has disappeared and taken her entire life’s memory with her. Elena is determined to explain their entire history, starting at the very beginning. I enjoyed the book, it reminded me of me and my best friend growing up in the same neighbourhood together, albeit the circumstances are very different.

Lila and Elena have a bit of a strange relationship, which is also representative of the perception of female friendships. It is not every friendship that is like theirs, but there is a sort of expectation that women must be jealous of each other and try to one-up each other in everything they do. This is the perception of female friendships in society. While Lila and Elena’s friendship is formed on jealousy and a need to be better, they end up inadvertently motivating each other. Elena needs to be better than Lila which prompts her to become the best in school, although it is the source of most of her insecurities. Although we do not have Lila’s perspective, her decision to read and study Greek and Latin is mostly likely motivated in part to keep up with Elena and be her equal. Elena continues to compare herself to Lila throughout their childhood and adolescence, which many girls can relate to. Puberty is a confusing time, especially for girls. There is a lot of pressure on you to be prettiest, a lot of attention from boys you did not get before, and overall confusion about what is happening to your body. It is only natural for Elena to continue to compare herself. It is also not presented as a very negative or positive aspect of their relationship, this is simply how their friendship is.

One thing that binds the two girls is their low socioeconomic status. Everyone in the neighbourhood (save for the Carraccis and the Solaras) is very poor and is very concerned with money. When the girls are younger, there is less emphasis on their socioeconomic status, but it becomes a point of tension later on. There is so much violence and hatred, that Elena would not conceive that Stefano did not try and kill Marcello when he spread rumours about Lila. Violence is so ingrained in them that it is their default reaction to any situation. Even when Stefano gets money and Lila and him get engaged, they still seem to be cosplaying rich people. This is another point where Elena and Lila have tension, with Elena eternally comparing herself to Lila. It is finally towards the end of the novel that Elena recognizes that she does not fit in with these people anymore. She is educated and they are so different from who she has become. Finally, she is not comparing every aspect of her being to Lila. This cycle of violence is not going to continue with her. However, we do not get to see her growth as this is only the first book!

All in all, I enjoyed this book! It is heavy and difficult in the right places and beautifully written. I will most definitely be reading the second book!

For my question today, who do you think Lila should have ended up with, Marcello, Enzo, Pasquale, or Stefano? (Add in more if I missed any). Also, what is your take on her personality? She reminds me of my best friend, who is sharp around the edges and keeps me on my toes, but I would not have it any other way.

As always, thank you for reading!

– Len ❤