Good for: Italophiles, those obsessed with the Neopolitan novels, storytellers.
Why: Wherever you stand on the reclusive Italian author’s unmasking, there’s no question that Ferrante is an incredible novelist, and this book shows the inner workings of her writerly mind. A memoir of sorts, it delves into her relationship to her work, her books, her family, psychoanalysis, and feminism—part letter to her readers, part to herself.
Read it: When you’re feeling introspective about your career, with a glass of wine and a plate of pasta e fagioli, wearing the Lydia (it’s made from soft Italian jersey).
(Europa Editions, November)
