LIFE OF THE PARTY BY TEA HACIC-VLAHOVIC

Mia, the Polish-American protagonist of Life of the Party, finds herself in Milan to escape her problems back home, only to find herself in a new set of challenges that are somewhat the same despite being a little more glam. Though she’s often struggling to pay rent, she barely makes it home to her flatshare each night after her day job as a fashion PR assistant, as she’s out every night or involving herself with toxic men – surely a relatable feeling for most Londoners every time summer comes around. This book literally made me feel as hungover as being in the office on Friday after taking it too far at drinks the night before, yet I couldn’t peel my eyes away. (HR)

LAPVONA BY OTESSA MOSHFEGH

Lapvona is every bit as dirty, dark, and depraved as you’d expect from Otessa Moshfegh – if not even more so. Set in the fictional European fiefdom of Lapvona, it follows Marek, the 13-year-old son of a lowly shepherd who ends up being adopted by the town’s corrupt lord Villiam after a rather harrowing series of events.

It’s really, really disgusting – watch out for a vivid description of an eyeball hanging from its socket, pages and pages of cannibalism, and a particularly nasty moment where one character is forced to eat a grape covered in shit. Not exactly an easy, breezy summer read – but it could help you get a sense of perspective if you’re complaining about “walking a lot” or “having to ask for the bill” on your Euro summer vacation. (SS)

LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION BY BEN LERNER

If you’re looking for a clueless American abroad to hate on, then you could do much worse than Adam Gordon, the narrator of Ben Lerner’s 2011 debut novel, Leaving the Atocha Station. Living in Madrid on a scholarship, the US poet is supposed to be writing a long poem about literature and the Spanish Civil War, but endlessly procrastinates by wandering around the city, getting high, reading Tolstoy, and hanging out with (or avoiding) various members of his artsy social circle. He doesn’t even really know anything about the Spanish Civil War.

The novel sometimes seems to be following a typically-narcissistic poet in his early 20s – a character Lerner knew all too well, drawing on his own autobiography – and sometimes a borderline sociopath, such as when he lies about his own mother’s death in order to sleep with one of his new European friends. Either way, the poet’s interactions with various Spanish artists, drug dealers, and paramours are filled with comic misunderstandings, partly thanks to his sketchy grasp of the language, which he plays up in order to mask his own flaws. But, while it’s tempting to dismiss Adam as a blithe, blundering tourist, these misunderstandings also give way to poetic insights about the blurred lines between cultures, and might just leave you feeling a bit more compassionate toward those on both sides of the Euro summer discourse. (TW)

MY BRILLIANT FRIEND BY ELENA FERRANTE

The four ‘Neapolitan novels’ chart the decades-long friendship between Elena and Lila, two intelligent and ambitious young women who grow up in a poor neighbourhood in Naples.

My Brilliant Friend is the first instalment in the series, and explores the early days of Elena and Lila’s relationship. It shines a light on the beauty of female friendship: the fierce loyalty, the courage that women can inspire in each other, the sheer fun of it all. But it also recounts, in equally vivid detail, the uglier side of the coin: the competitiveness, the jealousy, the undermining – and, of course, the cold, painful panic that hits when a man threatens to drive a wedge between you both. Believe the hype – the books are unbelievably good, and you won’t regret picking them up. (SS)

THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT BY MAGGIE O’FARRELL

In 1560, 15-year-old Lucrezia de’ Medici left Florence to begin married life with her husband, Alfonso d’Este, the Duke of Ferrara. Two years later, she was dead. In reality, Lucrezia probably died of tuberculosis, but rumours persisted that the Duke had poisoned her: perhaps as punishment for his own infertility, perhaps out of sheer jealousy and spite.

Maggie O’Farrell’s latest novel, The Marriage Portrait, opens with Lucrezia and Ferrara having dinner in a remote hunting lodge when it occurs to the young bride that her husband intends to kill her. The narrative then flits between the past and present, tracing Lucrezia’s life from the moment of her conception to the night Ferrara attempts to murder her. It’s a gripping story that keeps you clinging to the smallest shred of hope that Lucrezia will just run, even when her fate seems most inescapable. (SS)

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME BY ANDRÉ ACIMAN

Published in 2007, Call Me By Your Name has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years after Luca Guadagnino released a film adaptation of the novel in 2017. The story follows the burgeoning relationship between Elio, a 17-year-old boy who lives with his parents in Northern Italy, and Oliver, a graduate student who comes to stay with the family for the summer. The pair tip-toe around their attraction to each other before succumbing to their feelings – all while Oliver’s departure date inches ever closer. It’s exactly the sort of book that should be read under a blistering European sun. (SS)

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY BY PATRICIA HIGHSMITH

Americans coming to Europe to have a lovely summer and ending up suffering and miserable is nothing new – just ask Tom Ripley.

Patricia Highsmith’s psychological thriller from 1995, The Talented Mr Ripley follows the eponymous main character as he travels from New York to the Amalfi Coast to persuade playboy heir Dickie Greenleaf to leave Europe and come back to America. While staying in Dickie’s Italian summer home, Tom is seduced by his languorous and luxurious life of martini lunches and lost days spent sunning on the beach. The obsession becomes violent and leads to him impersonating Dickie and eventually a cat-and-mouse game with the Italian police as he feels across Italy leaving behind a trail of dead bodies. 

Highsmith’s atmospheric unease creates a feeling of intense claustrophobia and as the novel goes on the reader, like Tom, experiences the noose tightening as he gets increasingly desperate and reckless. For the full summer feeling, watch Anthony Minghella’s 1999 adaptation of the book where everything is bright and beautiful: the film brims with hot beaches, sun-kissed skin and rich luxury. (AP)

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