"The Departed and the Left Behind" is the third season of the TV series "My Brilliant Friend," and it is also the third book in the "Neapolitan Novels."
For comments on the previous volume, see the link https://msh.xlog.app/ruo-shi-jie-ceng-yao-gai-bian-ming-yun-guang-kao-zi-ji-shi-bu-gou-de---xin-ming-zi-de-gu-shi--ju-ping-he-shu-ping
As before, I watch an episode of the series and then read the corresponding part of the book. The series remains faithful to the original work, and reading the book allows for a better understanding of some scenes or psychological activities that are not depicted in the show.
This volume mainly focuses on Elena's process of helping Lila and Elena's life before and after marriage. Elena and Lila have both competition and mutual support. Lila learns some ways to deal with people from Elena, learns to use others, but still arranges her life according to her own wishes. Elena relies on marriage; although she has left the old town of Naples, she cannot mentally detach from it. The depiction of married life is very realistic. Although Pietro only physically strikes Elena once, the emotional abuse is constant; he essentially treats his wife as a high-end nanny who does not get paid to sleep with him and raise children, which is not fundamentally different from Stefano. Elena struggles to integrate into her new social environment and still needs to rely on her old friends from Naples, but gradually realizes that she needs to pursue the life she wants, rather than depend on others. The scene of returning home after marriage is very powerful; Elena realizes that she can no longer go back, while Lila finds her place again in the old town. Elena sees Nino as her lifeline or an excuse to escape; to truly find herself, she needs to discover the meaning of her own life and break free from dependence on others.
This volume is actually more in-depth compared to the first two, exploring women's family and social status, the conflicts between marital and family relationships. The psychological portrayal in the novel is outstanding, while the series emphasizes dramatic conflict more. Additionally, there is a description of the intense political struggles between the left and right in Italy during the 1960s and 70s; although I am not very familiar with this history, I can still sense a feeling similar to the Cultural Revolution.