I started the Neapolitan quartet, which the NYTimes deemed the “best book of the 21st century”, sometime around September last year and I finally finished it this past month. It took this long, not because of the quality of the book, but because of travels and just… life. Historically, I’ve always liked bildungsroman and this trend has been continuing.
The series is huge, and covers the life and death of a friendship alongside themes and reflections from the mundane, like clothing, to the profound, love. From the very beginning when they were kids who believed in ogres to the end when losses and lovers peppered their lives. Throughout the fictional autobiography, our narrator Elena provides her sincerest opinions, and it’s like peering out into the world from inside her head; a view of Naples from the lens of an intelligent Italian woman who grew up in a poor, violent-ladened neighborhood.
And I understood her. Mostly.
I understood why she and some of her friends hated the Solaras, why she left her husband, why her relationship with Lina is as turbulent as it is. In my opinion, it’s a story about the brilliant but trapped Lina as much as it is about our Elena. At the same time, I can feel the narrator’s humanity, meaning her flaws were there too. I felt her selfishness and envy and lust and ire. I found myself judging her for the way she handled her paramour, and his relationship with her kids. Likewise, with, what I perceive to be, a betrayal of her promise to Lina.
A very human book.
The prose is impeccably detailed, with remarks on why she felt this or that, and why her friends might also feel a certain way. At times, the stream of consciousness far pales what my own internal monologue, and I wonder if I’m the weird one who never thinks these thoughts or notices these social interactions.
My really main criticism is how much politics is discussed, with little background information to help the reader. The entire time, I was confused about what the parties stood for and how they should intertwine with the beliefs of the characters. For something as overarching as this, I would’ve loved if the English translations provided slightly more context for the readers.
Also, as a side note, I also finished listening to John Green’s Tuberculosis is Everything. It’s a very short book which discusses the history of tuberculosis, its treatment and the societal impacts. Ultimately, it felt like a cry for a more caring world, and is worth a glance.