The Lying Life of Adults Book Summary

In 'The Lying Life of Adults,' Elena Ferrante explores the tumultuous journey of a young girl named Giovanna as she grapples with the complexities of adulthood and identity. Set against the backdrop of a vibrant yet unforgiving Naples, the novel uncovers the dark truths hidden beneath the surface of seemingly perfect relationships. Giovanna's unwitting descent into the adult world reveals the lies people tell themselves and each other. With every revelation, the boundaries of love, betrayal, and the quest for self-discovery blur compellingly. Ferrante's masterful prose invites readers to reflect on the masks we wear and the truths we often dare not face.

By Elena Ferrante

Published: 2020

""We are all the dangerous monsters of our own lives, deeply intertwined, but only we can choose how to face them.""

Book Review of The Lying Life of Adults

A powerful new novel set in a divided Naples by Elena Ferrante, the beloved best-selling author of My Brilliant Friend. Giovanna's pretty face has changed: it's turning into the face of an ugly, spiteful adolescent. But is she seeing things as they really are? Into which mirror must she look to find herself and save herself? She is searching for a new face in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: the Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and the Naples of the depths, which professes to be a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves between these two cities, disoriented by the fact that, whether high or low, the city seems to offer no answer and no escape.

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"We are all the dangerous monsters of our own lives, deeply intertwined, but only we can choose how to face them."

The Lying Life of Adults

By Elena Ferrante