This book is captivating from the start and very well written. We feel we get to know unfathomable Lila in spite of her contradictory character and also Lenù, the narrator. We feel their strife, their longings, their first attempts at love, the inevitable rivalries.

But there are too many characters to keep track of and by chapter 45 we begin to wonder where this is all taking us. It’s a big disappointment – and too much like hard work – that we are supposed to read the next three books in the series before getting any real answers.