Two girls grow up in a violent, impoverished Naples neighborhood, and one of them is a genius. Ferrante's first Neapolitan novel launched the most talked-about literary phenomenon of the 2010s. The friendship between Lenu and Lila is rendered with such ferocity that it rewired how millions of readers think about female bonds, competition, and class.

The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.