If you have read and enjoyed one or more books of Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan Quartet -- it starts with "My Brilliant Friend" -- you might also like to read "Eva Sleeps" by Francesca Melandri.
The books of both authors were originally written in Italian, but the English translations are of high quality.
Whereas Ferrante's four novels examine slices of Italian post-World War II history and society from the point of view of blue-collar southern Italians, often looking north, Melandri's book covers much the same time period, but from a different perspective. "Eva Sleeps" is set deep in the history of an alpine Italian province known as Alto Adige that was once part of Austria, when it was known as South Tyrol. There, except for a brief period when Hitler essentially ruled Italy, the residents -- mostly German speaking -- look south, often warily if not with outright hostility.
Both books provide insight into Italy's intensely regional inclinations, something my wife and I kept encountering during a three-week visit to northern Italy in the autumn of 2016.
Ferrante and Melandri are also both writing novels set first and foremost from the perspectives of women and the lead characters of both prize their independence above all else. Not surprisingly, certain conflicts arise as a result. Whereas Ferrante's Neopolitan quartet is a hot-tempered work throughout -- reflecting perhaps the nature of southern Italians -- Melandri's book is far more dispassionate, even when dealing with inflammatory matters.
Both of these books can be viewed as feminist in nature (in Ferrante's case, particularly the third volume "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay") in that they attempt to once more divine just what women want and why.
The books differ in at least one essential way. Ferrante's series revolves around endless love triangles and the resulting emotional turmoil they bring about -- a bit too much of that for me at the end of the day. In contrast, Melandri focuses on the mystery of a single relationship.
Despite certain reservations having largely to do with personal preferences, I recommend both -- and especially if you spend much time in Italy, or are planning to visit.
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