Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend is the first novel in the Neapolitan Novels quartet, following the intense friendship between Elena and Lila growing up in 1950s Naples. Through their intertwined lives, Ferrante explores class, ambition, and how female friendship can be both sustaining and destructive. The novel becomes both intimate portrait and sweeping social history, proving that women's friendships are as complex and important as any love story.

WHY WE PICKED IT: Because Ferrante writes about female friendship with unflinching honesty, showing it can be love, competition, and resentment all at once. This novel reminds us that women's relationships with each other are often the most formative of their lives.

DETAILS: • Author: Elena Ferrante • Publisher: Europa Editions • Format: Paperback • Publication Date: September 25, 2012 • ISBN: 9781609450786 • Series: Neapolitan Novels, Book 1 • Ships direct from distributor in 3–7 business days