The Story of the Lost Child

As Lila and Elena mature and reach the height of their intellectual and social power, they present a brand of intelligence that eludes the men in their lives. The last Neapolitan novel shows how this type of intelligence contends with the norms and expectations of the patriarchal society the women continue to exist in.

Eminent academic Nino has always envied Lila and Elena’s intellect, which seems to stem from a natural brilliance, rather than schooling. He especially covets Elena’s ability to put her ideas into words and confesses that he discarded the article she wrote in high school for a student magazine because “he couldn’t believe that someone could write in such a pleasing and intelligent way” (68). Here, “someone” is a cover for Nino’s astonishment that a woman could write well enough to outshine him. Still, as Nino matures, he accepts that many women are smarter than him and instead uses his charm to parasitically rise on their successes and advance his career.

Meanwhile, Elena also draws upon a particular type of feminine intelligence for her success: that of Lila who, although she has a fifth grade education, is capable of astonishing eloquence and originality of thought. While Lila assisted Elena with that early destroyed article, Elena’s interactions with her friend remain a constant for her writing, and as the final novel advances, she acknowledges that Lila’s influence and that of the neighborhood prevents her from being purely derivative.