The Days of Abandonment
Elena Ferrante · b. 1943 · Italy
Originally I giorni dell'abbandono (Italian) · translated by Ann Goldstein
Why it matters
A wife's collapse after her husband leaves, narrated at scalding proximity: one locked door becomes a horror story of the self. Ferrante's rage before the Quartet: short, brutal, unforgettable.
At a glance
psychological novel
Difficulty 4/10fast pace224 pagesIntense, claustrophobic first-person voice, but syntactically direct.
Where to go next
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Antonio Tabucchi · 1994Pereira MaintainsLvl 4Medium pace
Jeffrey Eugenides · 2002MiddlesexLvl 6Medium pace