The Story of the Lost Child

About “The Story of the Lost Child”

The final volume of Elena Ferrante's bestselling series, which begins with My Brilliant Friend, includes The Story of a New Name and The Story of the Lost Child. All novels achieved international success and received recognition from the literary community. The story follows Elena and Lila, whose complex bond is built on love, hatred, jealousy, dominance, and dependency. They grew up together on the outskirts of Naples. Elena left her hometown to study in Pisa, where she became a successful writer and later a professor's wife and mother. Lila remained in Naples, married at sixteen, and had a son. She eventually abandoned her comfortable life and took on hard factory work. Despite professional success, she lives in a place ruled by nepotism, sexism, and crime. Their lives eventually intersect again in the city that once brought them together.