"The Story of a New Name" by Elena Ferrante

This is book 2 in Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet, in which we continue to follow the story of two friends Elena and Lila. The first book was focused on their childhood. In book 2, Lila and Elena are becoming adults. They are 18. Lila is married and Elena is getting ready to graduate from high school. The novel relates their individual personal stories and also highlights how they intertwine and influence each other.

With Book 1, I had trouble getting into the story and some parts of the book seemed unbearably slow to me. So I decided to listen to the second book in an audio format and really enjoyed it. The reader was wonderful and I found myself really engrossed in the narrative. Not once did I lose concentration or drifted away in my thinking. So if you have trouble with Ferrante's writing, I highly recommend the audio book. I am definitely going to continue listening to the series.

The thing that I particularly liked about the second book is how genuine Ferrante's writing is. She lays bare all of her adolescent insecurities and struggles, and does not shy away from difficult subjects such as domestic abuse and infidelity. She is also very open about the difficulties of her friendship with Lila. On the one hand, they trust each other completely. On the other, their friendship is always tainted by competition and desire to outdo each other.

I gave this installment 5 out of 5 stars and cannot wait to continue with the series.