‘The Story of the Lost Child’ is the fourth and final novel by Elena Ferrante in her series of Neapolitan novels translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein. While the third volume Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay ended with Elena and Nino seemingly walking off into the sunset, it will come as no surprise to readers that it isn’t long before all is not well in their relationship. Having returned to Naples to be with Nino, Elena is reunited with Lila and becomes embroiled in the politics and violence of their neighbourhood once again.
2015 was the year Elena Ferrante’s consistently excellent series about the friendship and rivalry between childhood friends Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo really took off in the English-speaking world mostly through word-of-mouth recommendations. Even though it’s very rare for me to read consecutive books by the same author, I read ‘The Story of the Lost Child’ immediately after finishing ‘Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay’, such is the power of the Neapolitan novels.
Spanning approximately three decades, the final volume takes a wider view of Elena and Lila’s lives through later adulthood with Lila making a welcome return to the centre of Elena’s life having been apart from her for much of the previous volume. As ever, the rich narrative is driven by the contrast between Elena’s academic career and family life across northern and southern Italy as well as the contradictions and complexities of her friendship with Lila. The powerful earthquake which stuck Naples in 1980 marks a key turning point in their friendship, as do the circumstances surrounding the “lost child” referred to in the title, while the ending draws on events from the very beginning of My Brilliant Friend.
Lots of readers have said that ‘The Story of the Lost Child’ is the best in the series but I don’t think I could rank the books individually. While each volume has its own merits and reveals new surprises, it is the experience of reading and absorbing the series as a whole which has been particularly special, thanks to the skill with which Ferrante has maintained such a high standard of consistency across the saga.
Having repeatedly failed to make the cut on the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize longlists, I am hoping that 2016 is the year when Elena Ferrante is finally recognised by translated fiction prize judges and I will be very surprised (and annoyed) if ‘The Story of the Lost Child’ is excluded from the revamped Man Booker International Prize whose longlist is due to be revealed in March this year.
A Little Blog of Books 
I’ve only read the first book, but it’s such a wonderful achievement and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when the scope broadens. I really hope that Ferrante gets some recognition this year.
LikeLike
I have a feeling you will become addicted! 🙂
LikeLike
Rarely does a ‘book series’ have such an impact on me ……the Narnias when I was young , the Rabbits in my 30s ….and now Ferrante with Lila and Lena . I agree , it’s hard to assess the books individually ….but 4 has a HUGE impact . I have read this with my bookgroup and we’ve had such interesting discussions ….feminism, are Lila and Lena actually just one person ….I am bereft with out them ……thank goodness another Karl Ove is expected this year !!!
LikeLike
Yes, it’s a series which generates a lot of interesting questions about identity. I still haven’t read Dancing in the Dark so I’m a bit behind with the My Struggle cycle so something to look forward to!
LikeLike
I’m really thrilled to have all this ahead of me this year! and thanks for not putting spoilers in there too. Very Happy New Year, onward and upward on the blogging front and looking forward to following in your footsteps some more…
LikeLike
Thanks and happy 2016 to you too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I completely agree! I don’t think I could ever rank the books in the Neapolitan series, they are all consistently good.
LikeLike
Yes, it’s definitely a series which needs to be read and absorbed all together.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ive been saving this whole series for 2016. Can’t wait to get started.
LikeLike
You’re in for a treat – hope you enjoy them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved this series as well. It offers such a rich and vivid evocation of life in Naples at the time. I’m intrigued to see what Ferrante does next.
LikeLike
Yes, I’m hoping it won’t be too long before the next one. I read The Days of Abandonment and The Lost Daughter and while I enjoyed them, I didn’t think they had the same power as the Neapolitan novels. I really liked the long arc of this particular series whereas her shorter early novels don’t have the same level of depth. I’m more interested in what she has written after the Neapolitan novels rather than new translations of earlier ones.
LikeLike
That’s interesting. Haven’t read The Lost Daughter, but I did like The Days of Abandonment. It’s a different type of novel for sure, more claustrophobic and visceral than the Neapolitan series, but I thought it very powerful. It’ll be interesting to see what she decides to do next.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So many people have mentioned these books to me. Despite having once worked in the book industry I now feel soooo out of the loop with what’s new. Having a small child leaves not a lot of time for bookshop browsing! Your comment about reading them consecutively has tipped the balance for me, I’m gonna order the first one now! Thanks for posting!
LikeLike
Thanks, I really hope you enjoy them!
LikeLike
Pingback: New Books Coming Soon in 2016 | A Little Blog of Books
Pingback: A Little Blog of Books - Elena Ferrante
Pingback: The Man Booker International Prize Longlist 2016 | A Little Blog of Books
Pingback: 2016 Man Booker International Longlist | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog
Pingback: The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (Man Booker International Prize Long List) – Dolce Bellezza
Pingback: 2016 Best Translated Book Award Longlist – combined reviews | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog
Pingback: 2016 Best Translated Book Award Shortlist – combined reviews | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog
Pingback: My Books of the Year 2016 | A Little Blog of Books