The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

This is the second book in the Neopolitan series, and I found it much easier going than the first. In this novel, At the beginning of this novel, Lenú throws a box into the river. Lenú, the narrator, is a writer, but the notebooks in the box belong to her friend, Lila, who left school aged 12, marrying a mere four years later. Lila gave the box to her because she feared, with reason, that if her husband found them he would have killed her, and given the way he has treated her in the previous book, that isn't an exaggeration.
The book is largely focused on the two women's twenties, where Lenú has some luck in love and in her career, while Lila goes into a self-destructive downward spiral.  Her impulsiveness leads to decisions that in the short run bring her pleasure but in the long run are her downfall, both financially and the effect on her mental health.  Lenú has a bit of luck but doesn't seem altogether over the moon, brought down and held to the earth by her destructive mother.  In the end, I couldn't wait to start the next installment.