Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay - Elena Ferrante

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⭐ 8.5/10

(Originally written by Tim)

These books leave me with a mess of emotions after reading every morning, but I can't put them down. The lives of our two friends continue on into the 20s and early 30s, and is it every frustrating. This book is not at all what I was expecting when I read a log line that was like, "The most realistic and authentic portrayal of female friendship". I sure hope not. Their lives are filled with sadness, and moments of joy are overshadowed by complicated emotions and eventually ruined with poor decisions.

I can't say too much, since Jess is now reading these, but the continual cycle of repeated mistakes across ones lifetime, and even across generations, is very frustrating. I have been trying to dig into what I find so relatable and fascinating about this series, but I am at a loss. I have not experienced a fraction of the darkness they have, but for some reason I feel a sort of kinship. They continue to do things that leave me pulling my hair out, yet I feel empathetic and still want to root for them.

Maybe it's a testament to how good I think her writing is, or maybe in the pile of bad decisions and negative thoughts there are enough parallels to my own life for it to feel relatable. Regardless, I am on to the final book and I am so curious how this ends.

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