I'm not sure whether to give this 3 stars or 4. It's well written but the whole "wanna-punch-the-protag-in-the-face" feeling is hard to ignore. Frustration with her overall personality and devotion/obsession with her friend is tough to overcome. However, the book is very interesting in a introspective sense because it recounts a friendship between two girls (growing up in Naples, Italy in the 50s) and I used to be one of two girls in a complicated friendship that seemed similar. Also, the book is written in such a personal, introspective sense on the part of the protag that it appears to be more of a memoir. There is just so much detail in the recounting of various events in this girl's childhood that it feels way more autobiographical than not. Apparently this is going to be a trilogy and I'm curious but I don't think I'm THAT curious, if ya know what I mean...