My Brilliant Friend

Who is the brilliant friend? Is it Lila, the narrator's mercurial pal, sharp of elbow and tongue, who can do anything she sets her mind to in their poor neighborhood in postwar Naples (where not many doors are open to girls like them). Or is it the narrator herself, Elena, the tortoise to Lila's hare? The story of their friendship begins here: two strong and smart girls growing up in a violent, patriarchal culture that doesn't know it's changing, alongside a three-page-long cast of characters who will nearly all have their moments of depth and relevance as the epic unfolds.