I giorni dell'abbandono (2002)

The Days of Abandonment follows Olga as she struggles to keep everyday life intact after her husband leaves, while anger and humiliation break through its routines. Ferrante follows that instability closely enough to make a short domestic novel feel physically claustrophobic. It is a forceful choice for the reader interested in what respectable composure conceals, with severe distress and sexual material rather than a comforting recovery narrative. Ann Goldstein translates.