The Story of the Lost Child is the concluding volume in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet, a saga of two brilliant friends, Elena and Lila, who grew up together, and attempted to escape their neighborhood, with its conformity, violence, and inviolable taboos. Elena has become a successful author and started a family in another city, while Lila has remained in Naples and has become a successful entrepreneur. They have, through it all, been the gravitational center of each other’s lives, Elena the conflicted narrator, and Lila, uncontainable and unforgettable. This novel explores more deeply the ambivalences of love for one’s family of origin, family of creation, and partners.