Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

Elena resumes narration where the second book in the series, The Story of a New Name, left off in the early 1970s. Now a college graduate and debut author, Elena promotes her book at a bookstore event but is criticized by a prominent intellectual in the audience. To her surprise, Nino Sarratore, Elena’s friend from the neighborhood whom Elena has loved since childhood, defends her novel.

After the event, Elena’s mother-in-law Adele Airota invites Elena out to a celebratory dinner with Adele’s colleague from the publishing industry, Tarratano. Elena protests, hoping to spend some alone time with Nino. As if reading her thoughts, Adele extends the invitation to Nino and tells Elena that there is a surprise waiting for her at dinner.

Elena catches up with Nino on the way to the restaurant. She grows uneasy when he brings up Lila, with whom Nino had an affair in The Story of a New Name. Nino says that loving Lila was “a difficult experience” and that she is “made badly, even when it comes to sex” (36). Elena is shocked by his candor, bordering on impudence and vulgarity, and quickly changes the subject.

At the restaurant, Elena feels left out of the conversation when Adele, Tarratano, and Nino discuss politics. Feeling inferior, she vows to familiarize herself with the things they mentioned; However, this compulsion is mostly motivated by a desire for Nino’s approval. Just then, the surprise appears: Elena’s fiancé Pietro Airota.

Elena is horrified by Pietro’s sudden appearance. She feels guilty that does not feel the same way about Pietro as she does about Nino. At Adele’s prompting, Pietro awkwardly tells Elena the good news: thanks to the income from his new tenured professorship at the University of Florence, he and Elena can marry sooner than expected. Nino abruptly leaves after this announcement, disappointing Elena.

Overwhelmed by the emotions of the evening, Elena unfairly criticizes Pietro’s promotion and the city of Florence. She admits to herself that, if not for Pietro’s appearance, she would have tried to sleep with Nino that night. Elena reflects to herself that Nino is a thing of childhood, of the past; Pietro is her future. With Pietro, she will gain affluence and, more importantly, an escape from Naples.

Back in Naples, Elena prepares her family for Pietro’s visit to ask for Elena’s hand in marriage formally. Elena’s mother is enraged when she learns that Elena and Pietro will be married only in a civil service and not a traditional church ceremony. Elena persuades her family that a civil marriage is as valid as a religious one. The difference does not matter to Elena, however, because to her, “the most essential thing was to get out of Naples” (51).

Elena spends the day at bookstores in Port’Alba. She buys several political texts, determined to catch up with current ideas, and the daily newspapers. She spots an article about her book in the Corriere della Sera, the most widely read newspaper in Italy: it is written by the man who criticized her book at the event.

The article harshly criticizes Elena and her book, particularly the part of Elena’s book when the protagonist loses her virginity to a middle-aged man, a sexually explicit and highly controversial scene that is based on Elena’s own experiences. Elena feels that she has misjudged her abilities as a writer and is depressed by her perceived failure the rest of the day. L’Unita, another popular newspaper in Italy, publishes an article on Elena’s book the following day, but this one is very complimentary of her work. Relieved, Elena now perceives her book as being a work of “mastery” (56). Elena reflects on what an unstable thing success is, and how she has been subject to its caprices for her entire life, first as a student and now as a young professional. Adele telephones Elena to tell her that the book’s sales have increased due to all the press.

Elena receives feedback on her book from her peers in the neighborhood, but most of them only comment on the controversial sex scene. Unbeknownst to any but Elena, it was inspired by Elena’s own experience with Nino’s father Donato Sarratore in The Story of a New Name. The reactions Elena receives in the neighborhood range from malicious amusement to outrage at her for writing “a book you can’t keep around the house” (61).

In contrast to the neighborhood, Elena receives nothing but praise from Adele and the rest of the Airotas. Her father-in-law, Guido, a prominent professor, and her sister-in-law, Mariarosa, a political activist, both call to congratulate her.

Elena promotes her book around the country at universities and bookshops. She is frequently asked about her motivation behind the “risqué” pages. Elena, who at first doesn’t know how to answer, responds that it’s necessary to document all parts of the human experience. This answer pleases her audiences. Tarratano accompanies Elena on her tour. One night, when he is very drunk, he tries to kiss Elena. Elena is repulsed by this display of sexual aggression from someone whom she had considered so refined.

While visiting the university in Milan, Elena sees Mariarosa leading a meeting of student protestors. Elena is captivated by their passion, their words, but most particularly by a young woman, Silvia, who is there with a baby at her breast. Silvia and her baby remind Elena of Lila and Lila’s son Gennaro. At the end of the demonstration, Elena recognizes the man standing beside Mariarosa: Franco Mari, Elena’s boyfriend during her college years at the Pisa Normale.

Elena joins Mariarosa, Franco, Silvia, and another man named Juan at Mariarosa’s apartment. Elena tries to catch up with Franco, but he is cold to her and keeps the conversation focused on the revolution. Elena is frustrated by how Franco and Juan dominate the conversation, leaving no space for the women to contribute. Elena is irritated that neither Mariarosa nor Silvia tries to jump in, but mostly feels irritated with herself for not trying either. Silvia struggles with her baby, Mirko, and Elena offers to take him, if only to rescue herself from the pressure to say something to Franco and Juan.

Elena finds taking care of Mirko surprisingly enjoyable. She questions whether she wants to be a mother as well as a wife. Elena fears that if she does have children, she will become just like her own mother.

Elena finally inserts herself into the conversation between the two men but feels demeaned when Franco calls her a “petit bourgeois” (78). When Elena finally gets a private moment with Franco, she asks him if he’s read her book. He says vaguely that it was good; Elena presses, and Franco admits that he found it lacking in depth. According to him, Elena “hides precisely what it would be valuable to write about” (80).

That night, Elena wakes to Juan standing in her room. He asks to sleep with her; Elena firmly tells him no, but he insists, and when Elena forces him out, he calls her a hypocrite. Elena draws a connection between what has just occurred, the recent episode with Tarratano, and the moment from her childhood when Donato Sarratore molested her as a teenager on vacation on Ischia. Elena wonders if there is some quality about her that invites these unwanted advances or if Juan and Tarratano are “of the same clay” (83) as Donato was.

Elena hears Mirko crying and goes to help Silvia. Although hostile at first, Silvia gratefully accepts the help. Silvia confides in Elena about Mirko’s father—he was a university professor with whom Silvia had a brief affair but now has no contact with: Nino Sarratore.

Before she returns to Naples the following morning, Elena speaks with Mariarosa, who confirms that Mirko is Nino’s son. Apparently, this is typical behavior for Nino. Elena is horrified, partly on behalf of Lila. Lila and her son, Gennaro, are just another in a long line of women whom Nino seduces, impregnates, and abandons. Elena suspects that Mariarosa also had a brief relationship with Nino. Despite her disgust and anger, Elena only desires Nino even more.

Elena bumps into Gigliola back in the neighborhood; to Elena’s surprise, Gigliola, who is usually blunt and often cruel, timidly compliments Elena’s book. Gigliola confides that she recognized her own sexual experience in the one Elena wrote, a reaction Elena had not considered before.

Pietro visits Elena’s family. Despite anxieties on all parts, all goes well; Pietro is admired and well-liked by the whole family. Pietro explains to Elena’s mother that only having a civil service is a matter of principle, and as a man he must hold true to his principles; surely she wouldn’t want her daughter to marry someone who could abandon his own principles so easily? Elena’s mother acquiesces, but later she criticizes Elena for not “making herself respected” (94) by sticking to her own principles against Pietro’s.

On the last day of his visit, Pietro takes the whole family out to eat at a restaurant, and impresses Elena’s mother with his historical knowledge of Naples. They are forced to leave the restaurant early when Elena’s younger brothers physically attack a group of boys at another table for insulting Pietro’s appearance. Elena’s father rebukes the boys, but Pietro is amused. Elena is pleased to know that Pietro is considered one of the family now. After Pietro leaves the following day, Elena’s mother tells her that she does not deserve Pietro.

Adele disapproves of the apartment Elena and Pietro found for themselves in Florence and finds them a much nicer one for a lower price. Adele advises Elena on furnishings and fashion; Elena admires Adele’s intelligence, affluence, and poise, and is happy to receive her guidance. On one of her final nights in the Naples neighborhood, Elena hears a voice calling her from the window: it’s Pasquale Peluso and Enzo Scanno, childhood friends. Enzo, who lives with Lila and Gennaro at San Giovanni a Teduccio, tells Elena that she must come at once: Lila is unwell.

Pasquale drives Enzo and Elena back to Enzo and Lila’s apartment. On the car ride there, the two men explain what happened: Lila was late returning from her job at the salami factory that evening and was very agitated when she appeared. She shut herself in her room with Gennaro and ordered Enzo and Pasquale to fetch Elena. When they arrive at the apartment, Elena goes straight to Lila.

Lila greets Elena warmly; Elena is alarmed to see how pale and thin Lila is, how damaged her hands are. Lila makes Elena promise to raise Gennaro if something happens to Lila, because Elena could give Gennaro opportunities that Enzo could not. After Elena promises, Lila begins to tell her story.

This was the last time Elena ever heard Lila give such a detailed, intimate account of her experiences; now, still narrating from some point in the future, Elena wishes that Lila were there to re-construct the story with her.