The Day Before Happiness by Erri De Luca
This little book, which I met first in the bookstore at the airport in Napoli, dropped its hero into my life like a coin into a pool. He span so deep and so fast that he was almost lost … until, from nowhere, a sudden current pulled him out of sight.
A look back (first published 24 September 2015): this book, the second of four, sustains the pace of the first – it’s a vivid read.
The cover of Elena Ferrante’s: The Story of a New Name
The Story of a New Name is the second book of the Neapolitan Novels. It’s raw and brilliant, with a light that shines unblinking on its characters
Naples has always hung its washing to catch the air – it’s a city that knows its secrets … and so does Elena Ferrante. In her novels she packs the unhidden into private lives and passes it on to us.
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A look back (first published on 30 August 2015): since writing this review I’ve read all four of the Neapolitan Novels – none of them disappointed.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
This book stuck in my hands – it followed me from the outskirts of Naples, to Pozzuoli and then to a small boat anchored off the island of Procida. I didn’t want to put it down.
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The Phraser 