The Lying Life of Adults

“AN INCENDIARY PORTRAIT OF THE VOLCANIC CURRENTS OF SEX AND BETRAYAL.”- Mail on Sunday

THE INTERNATIONAL No. 1 BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF MY BRILLIANT FRIEND

A BBC2 Between The Covers Book Club Pick

BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2021 - SHORTLISTED FOR FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

Soon to be a NETFLIX original series

18M OF ELENA FERRANTE’S BOOKS SLOD WORLDWIDE

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

“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