For a novel with such a pretty cover, the subject matter of Elena Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment is rather depressing.
The story centres around a woman who has just been abruptly left by her husband, alongside having to care for two young children. It delves into her descent into emptiness and despair as she grapples with this new life that is essentially confined to her high-rise Italian apartment.
From what synopsis say online, it seems to linger on a central theme: can one return to normalcy, as well as find their identity again, after the devastating, isolating, and troubling experience of being abandoned by one they relied on?
Given that it is sub-200 pages and touches on a simple concept (albeit one rarely explored in such focus), I intend to give it a read someday. Onto the mile-long to-read list it goes!
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