The lying life of adults
In September 2020 the Italian author Elena Ferrante published her novel The lying life of adults, becoming an indisputable editorial success. In addition, the fact of not knowing who the author is - given her anonymity - the novel seems to be more attractive to the public. In this sense, it is the story of the discovery that a girl makes about the hidden habits of adults.
Under this argument, we witness a story of the potential conflict originated in an adolescent because of the revelation of truths that disrupt emotions. Thus, the narrator, Giovanna, recounts her experiences in the first person and convinces, without gimmicks, the reader about the events. At the same time, a kind of complicity and solidarity is generated towards the protagonist.
About the author, Elena Ferrante
The adjective mysterious for this author is an inevitable constant since the publication of her first novel almost three decades ago. Well, To date, the identity of the writer is not certain, beyond an interview by email. It is only known that - supposedly - she was born in 1943 in Naples, Italy and that Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym.
For these reasons, there is only conjecture about the writer. Moreover, some of his readers believe that his novels are autobiographical portraits. Accordingly, each new publication has been accompanied by theories and research to find out who Elena Ferrante definitely is. Therefore, the most common biographical data about the author are marked by her literature.
Elena Ferrante, product of her literature
This case is not the first of an Italian author who decides to remain anonymous. But, the undoubted thing is that, as the Amazon portal points out, this woman is "the greatest enigma in current literature." Right there, it is said that "it fascinates 20.000.000 readers in 46 countries" around the world. In addition, The lying life of adults is one of the best 100 books selected by the magazine Time.
Consequently, she is a real writer insofar as her literature exists. Namely, Elena Ferrante (or whoever she really is) is a writer because her novels (above all) give her public life. Then, it can be said that her novels constitute the set of true referential documents about the creator of the texts.
Almost three decades of literature
It is known that Elena Ferrante became famous throughout Europe in 2011 when she began to publish a behind of four books. Of the latter, known as Two friends, the fourth novel came out in 2015 (in Spanish) with great popular acceptance. Now your first publication was in Italian in 1992, Annoying love, to republish in 2002 The days of abandonment.
Later, he published The dark daughter (2006), a novel with a powerful narrative and mysterious characters, where it showed signs of a remarkable literary evolution. After, as said before, published his consecrating tetralogy between 2011 and 2015. Finally, with the launch of The lying life of adults (2020), Elena Ferrante established herself as a great literary phenomenon.
Synopsis of The lying life of adults
Initial approach
In this novel by Elena Ferrante, As a child, Giovanna discovers the fatality of lies in her own core of love, that of her parents. This happens when he hears his father allude (without his knowing it) to the ugliness of his daughter. In this way, the girl must face a new reality, in which she understands how older people lie, even to their closest ones.
Family secrets
Inevitably, the little girl is affected by the lies and behavior of her family (member of the Neapolitan bourgeoisie of the 1990s). So, Giovanna, remembers that her father said “she is ugly like her aunt Vittoria”, someone she had no knowledge of.
Consequently, he starts looking for this aunt and suspicious of her family until he meets Vittoria, from a lower economic condition. Little by little Giovanna understands that her aunt is an affected woman with a chaotic life, very different from the daily life of his parents, intellectuals and bourgeoisie.
Books as a way of answering
Due to the situations described in previous paragraphs, Giovanna (a regular reader) immerses herself more in books. In addition, the adolescent internalizes the importance of study and education in general. In this context, Roberto appears, a teacher who motivates her to constantly seek new learning and to establish high expectations about herself.
Thus, the narration progresses — it covers a period of approximately four years — along with other small stories parallel to the central story. Already towards the end The lying life of adults, the girl's certainties become a "necessary doubt." At this point, nothing is said and the most important thing is to acquire new knowledge without limitations or censorship.
Brief analysis of the book The lying life of adults
The theme of the book
In this latest novel by Elena Ferrante there are several themes intertwined in the development of events. Among those topics, most revolve around love and lies. Of course, love is a universal theme, but the author approaches it through a teenager who discovers her good and bad side.
The search for hope and knowledge
The lying life of adults narrates the collapse of the ideal of childhood goodness in Giovanna, the main character, because of a hurtful lie. However, this adolescent before the discovery of the nearby deception, sees the way out towards the search for the truth ... hope becomes a determining issue.
Inevitably, the protagonist encounters important conflicts, essential for the emotional growth of a girl in a very delicate stage. The psyche of the woman Giovanna depends a lot on that self-discovery and those feelings. Who also reaches particular revelations about the importance of people's appearance.
A style that conquers readers
Success The lying life of adults It is not in the mystery of the identity of the author. In other words, it is unfair not to recognize the literary merit of Elena Ferrante. Accordingly, it is pertinent to make it clear that it is the penetrating style of a first-person narrative that is truly engaging in readers.
Consequently, the narration told by a protagonist voice emulates an effect of closeness, which, sends the girl's testimony of veracity. In fact, as soon as the story begins, readers tend to feel recognized in it and want to accompany it in its search until the end.