Review: The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know that I am in the midst of a serious obsession with Italian author Elena Ferrante. I first heard of her a few years ago thanks to Yasmine, who was reading the Neapolitan Novel quartet the last time she was in France. She didn’t bring all four novels with her on her trip and immediately regretted it. Although she had the entire series at home, she couldn’t wait to see what happened next and ended up buying the books again. Once I started them, I finally understood why.

I read the quartet over the summer when I was on vacation. It was one of those stories that you immediately become invested in as a reader. It eventually got to the point where whatever was happening in the book started to affect my mood. If there was a happy moment, I felt just as uplifted as the characters. As I got through the darker passages, I felt a darkness come over me. Dramatic? Maybe. Did it feel real? Absolutely. 

I finished the last book in the quartet as my vacation was coming to an end which felt appropriate. But, I couldn’t let Ferrante or her characters go. Luckily, there is an HBO series that is based on the Neapolitan Novels that goes by the same name as the first book in the quartet, My Brilliant Friend. I definitely recommend that you watch it, whether you’ve read the books or not. It’s one of those rare times when the TV show is just as good as the book — but really.

So, I finished Ferrante’s most celebrated books series and I watch the TV show. The more invested I became in her words the more intrigued I became with Ferrante herself. You see, Elena Ferrante isn’t the author’s real name and no one knows her true identity. I use “her” because I personally believe the author is a woman or someone who identifies as female. There have been investigations into who Ferrante may be but no one has been able to find the author. The mystery that surrounds Ferrante is another reason I’m drawn to her books. 

After I watched all of the episodes of My Brilliant Friend, I decided to take a break from the world of Lenu and Lila (the protagonists in the quartet). I picked up another one of Ferrante’s novels called The Lying Life of Adults. Word on the street is that this one isn’t as good at the Neapolitan Novels. To that, I say, “of course.” In my mind, nothing Ferrante has written or will write will ever be “as good as” the NNs. The series is clearly the author’s masterpiece. 

I was happy to read something else by Ferrante and was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed The Lying Life of Adults. I’ll admit, I wasn’t as invested in the main character, Giovanna, as I was in Lenu and Lila’s lives, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get sucked into her world nonetheless.

Like the NNs, The Lying Life of Adults is also set in Naples. The book follows Giovanna as she navigates puberty, her parents’ failing marriage, changing friendships, and issues among estranged family members. The story begins with a bang — Giovanna overhears her father calling her ugly and the world around her begins to crumble (understandably at 13 years old). 

As I read, I couldn’t help but be taken back to that period in my own life. I think that all of us experienced a moment when we realized that our parents had faults. As children, we (usually) look up to our parents. They are our protectors, they feed us, they give us love and affection. In our child’s minds, we see them as large, heroic even. We have questions, they answer them. We have needs, they fulfill them. The moment when we realize that our parents aren’t as perfect as we think they are can be earth-shattering. 

The book follows Giovanna as she grapples with the realization that she doesn’t know the adults in her life as well as she thinks she does. As the story goes on, the mask that the “grown-ups” wear begins to fade. Ferrante, through the eyes of Giovanna, takes the reader by the hand and reminds us of that time in our own lives. The awkwardness, pain, and disappointment of being a teenager is palpable throughout The Lying Life of Adults. 
If you’re a Ferrante fan and are looking for more after finishing the NNs, I recommend that you read The Lying Life of Adults next. I also suggest that you go into the story with an open mind, and try not to compare it with the quartet. On its own, The Lying Life of Adults wins.

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