Elena Greco

Elena, or Lenu, or Lenuccia, is the narrator of the story. In the beginning of the story she is six years old, and the novel takes the reader through her sixteenth year. She is upper-lower class, because her father serves as a porter in a fancy hotel in Naples. Early on she is identified as an excellent student, and is driven to do her best because of the direct competition with Lila. When Lila stops attending school, Elena continues and excels in school. She is Lila's best friend, but they are not close because Lila doesn't accept that type of closeness. For the course of the story, Elena feels competitive towards - yet attached - to Lila, whose own accomplishments drive Elena's need for success.

Elena struggles constantly with her attractiveness and her identity. There is tension throughout the novel on whether or not she wishes to...