The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante

My absolute adoration of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan quartet has been documented in this space before. I even gave the box collection to someone as a Christmas present, so you know it's real. I didn't exactly love her 2020 release, The Lying Life of Adults, but I decided that I should probably go through Ferrante's catalog in order to be the sort of person who has read every book from an author she would probably claim as her favorite. ANYWAY.  There are three more books for me to read after this one to complete this goal.

The Lost Daughter examines Leda, a retired, divorced mother who goes on vacation to a beach town. While there, she insinuates herself into the lives of others also visiting the beach.  What follows is an introspective look at a complicated woman who is unsure of her own identity, who makes choices that are confusing and inexplicable, and who is trying out a new persona, even as she doesn't know who she was in the first place. 

Frankly, like the Neapolitan books, it's a hard read at times. Leda is unlikeable for most of the book.  It's challenging to understand her motivations because it seems like she's just a selfish person. But, as in Ferrante's other works, the more you read, the more you understand and the spitefulness crystalizes. It doesn't necessarily make you like Leda more, but you understand her motivations.  And, if you're anything like me, it makes you take a closer look at your own actions and behaviors.

I highly recommend Ferrante for anyone who hasn't already dipped their toe into her oevre.  Brilliant examinations of women and real relationships among women.  It's rare to see in literature.  

Passage of note:

"I remember very little, nothing really."
"That can't be - you don't forget anything about your children."
I was silent for a moment, then said calmly:
"I left. I abandoned them when the older was six and the younger four."
"What do you mean, who did they grow up with?"
"With their father."
"And you didn't see them again?"
"Three years later, I took them back."
"What a terrible thing, why."
I shook my head, I didn't know why.
"I was very tired," I said.