Giovanna's pretty face has changed: it's turning into the face of an ugly, spiteful adolescent. But is she seeing things as they really are? Where must she look to find her true reflection and a life she can claim as her own?
Giovanna's search leads her to two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: the Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and the Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. Adrift, she vacillates between these two cities, falling into one then climbing back to the other.
Set in a divided Naples, The Lying Life of Adults is a singular portrayal of the transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
SOON TO FEATURE ON BBC 2'S BETWEEN THE COVERS WITH SARA COX
"This is no amiable coming-of-age tale... the most intense writing about the experiences and interior life of a girl on the cusp of adulthood that I have ever read. It is brilliant."-The Financial Times
"An astonishing, deeply moving tale."-The Guardian
"Ferrante confronts female sexual awakening with such an absence of romantic enchantment it leaves you gasping."-The Daily Mail
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:
"Brilliant as always."-Jan on Amazon
"A tightly crafted and gripping story."-Maxwell on Goodreads
"Excellent book. My only complaint was that it ended too soon!"-Mhairi on Amazon
"I woke up eagerly looking forward to reading more of this novel every single day."-Violet on Goodreads
"Fans of Elena Ferrante will not be disappointed."-Lesley on Amazon
