Description
A young woman living a quiet and fulfilling life, not confined to the closed circle of her family (husband, two sons, and the dog), is suddenly plunged into a dark and ancient abyss when her husband abandons her. It seems as though an abyss is closing in on her, cutting her off from order, life, and the serenity of that bygone era, which appears to her to be irretrievable. Beginning one day in April, within the walls of a house where every movement is arranged according to a programmed and coherent order that mirrors the spirit that pervades the city of Turin, Olga begins to play the role of the abandoned woman.
In Elena Ferrante’s novel, the stages of her descent into this infernal abyss take the form of insomnia, distraction, and anger towards herself and others. Chaos spreads through Olga’s home, and she becomes detached from her surroundings, unleashing her hostility towards her sons and exhausting her patience with the dog her husband left her as a legacy from the past. This novel transports us to the fire and ashes of Greek tragedy, now cloaked in contemporary garb. We are confronted with a painful event, yet one that is not exceptional, and with an urban scene carefully crafted to present an image to its audience. Once again, we discern in this writer’s text, indeed in her very nature, her Mediterranean temperament and that profound, deep-seated energy that resonates deeply within the collective memory of women.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.