Beginner’s guide to Elena Ferrante

Elena Ferrante, the bestselling and mysterious Italian writer, has returned to U. S. bookstores with her new novel, “The Lying Life of Adults” ( Europa Editions). Here is a beginner’s guide to her work.

“My Brilliant Friend”

If you’re completely new to Ferrante, start here, with the first of her four Neapolitan novels. They trace a lifelong, complex friendship between Lila and Lenù.

“The Lost Daughter”

A middle- aged woman’s self- discovery is tainted by her conflicted emotions about motherhood. ( Bonus: Maggie Gyllenhaal is working on a film adaptation.)

“Frantumaglia”

This collection of Ferrante’s incisive correspondence is named for a word that her mother invented to mean jumbled- up fragments.

“Troubling Love”

Published in 1992, Ferrante’s first novel centers on Delia, who is consumed with her family’s history after her mother dies under mysterious circumstances.

The Days of Abandonment” After Olga is left by her husband, she descends into a frightening state of despair, threatening her own sense of self — and the safety of her children.