The Days of Abandonment

by Elena Ferrante

First published 2002

Olga's comfortable life unravels when her husband suddenly abandons her and their young children. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, Olga spirals into a dark emotional abyss, her world shrinking to the confines of her apartment. As she struggles to keep her family afloat, Olga confronts the fragility of her identity and the intensity of her own needs. A visceral portrait of a woman's descent into solitude and self-destruction.

Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama

Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: emotional-journey, unreliable-narrator

192 pages · Paperback · Europa Editions

Content warnings: depression, mental-illness

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