Review: THE STORY OF A NAME

Over a year ago the New York Times published a list of the top 100 books of the 21st century. They asked 503 literary luminaries for their input in creating the list and this cast of readers, writers, editors, critics came up with a list and at the top of the list in the #1 spot was My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. It is the first book in the Neapolitan series, four books published between 2012-2014. The fourth book in the series, The Story of a Lost Child, is also on the NYT list but that means there are two books to read before getting to it. The Story of a Lost Name is the second book in the series. 

At the end of My Brilliant Friend, Lila, one of the two friends, gets married. The story of this book begins right where the first book left off. Lila is unhappily married to Stefano, a grocer, while Elena carries on with her education and begins dating and playing around with the idea of finding someone to marry herself. As the story continues Lila's existence becomes almost unbearable. It is like she lives in a beautiful gilded cage which is trapping her. She wants to be let out. Instead of trying to find a way to make her happy, her husband attempts to bring her into submission by beating her. While this is happening Elena finds a way out of the community by attending college in Pisa. Away from Lila's influence Elena starts to blossom, though she always feels like an outsider or a fraud in the world of education. At the end of her college career it is a boyfriend's mother who helps her make the transition to a new life as a published writer.

Apparently Elena Ferrante is a pen-name. Though quite popular with several well-regarded books in print, no one knows exactly who Elena Ferrante is or even if she is a she. One can't help but wonder if this series isn't a bit autobiographical. The use of the name "Elena" is one clue. Another clue is that Elena in the book becomes a published author. The story is set in post-WWII Naples, Italy. It is a guess, but the books are written in Italian, beautifully translated into English by Ann Goldstein. So who knows, maybe the mystery person, Elena Ferrante could be from Naples. A reviewer writing for NPR described The Story of a Lost Name as a possible origin myth similar to a book by Henry James by calling this one a "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman." We may never know if this series is autobiographical or not and it doesn't really matter.

I read The Story of a Name recently during my trip to a Mexico resort. Wherever I think of my reading experience with the book I will picture palm trees and and the blue ocean nearby. The book is long and detailed with lots of characters. It could be mind-boggling but I decided to just read it and not worry if I remembered every single detail. It is so well-written I was transported to Naples, Pisa, the Italian coast and I lived there among the characters for 400 pages. Then the book ended on a cliffhanger so I know exactly where the third book, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, will pick up the story. This time, however, I will not wait a year and a half between books. I've already purchased a used copy of each of the last two books and I am ready to continue with the story of a friendship between Lila and Elena as soon as I finish this month's book club selections.

My rating: 4 stars.

-Anne