The Lying Life of Adults

Giovanna likens her adolescence to a slow procession of colorful moments moving around drab gray ones. Her relationship with her parents improves when she successfully makes up her “lost” year. Though she’s happy that her parents are proud of her, she considers them both boring outliers in her life. Her father, especially, is a “small” and “frail” (242) man compared to Roberto’s colorful presence.

Roberto and Giovanna become friends quickly. Though she’s often afraid that she’s not smart enough, both Roberto and Giuliana disagree. Giovanna’s friendship with Angela and Giuliana increases—she mainly uses them as sounding boards when she doubts her intellect and how Roberto perceives her. Giuliana, who continues wearing Aunt Vittoria’s bracelet, grows even more beautiful to Giovanna during this time. Despite the relative calm of this period, however, Giovanna still remembers her aunt accusing her of coming between Roberto and Giuliana, and she also notices that Giuliana is constantly anxious regarding Roberto. Giovanna’s ultimately afraid that Giuliana will end their friendship due to mistrust. Giuliana’s anger increases around Angela, who constantly talks bad about Tonino and idly makes fun of her friends. Angela also upsets Giovanna with this behavior, especially when Angela reveals that Roberto and Giuliana sleep together and that Giovanna can’t comprehend them making out because she has no real experience with sex.

Giovanna, who considers Roberto too pure to have sex with Giuliana or cheat on her, believes that there are levels of disgust when it comes to men. Corrado disgusts her, whereas Silvestro or even Rosario might intrigue her. Angela, meanwhile, cheats on Tonino. Angela has sex with a 50-year-old teacher, an act that both Giovanna and Angela consider disgusting. Giovanna wants to ask Roberto about the confusing nature of sex and relationships, but she’s afraid Giuliana will misinterpret her intent and stop being friends.

Both Tonino and Giuliana are tense because Margherita and Aunt Vittoria disagree about Roberto moving to Naples. Giuliana, suffering from nervous exhaustion, throws a tantrum, shocking everyone (she mostly fears that a woman in Milan will seduce Roberto; she wants to marry him right away and move to Milan). Tonino, Angela, Giovanna, and Giuliana go see a movie together one day. When a group of boys bother Angela and the others, she grows angry that Tonino won’t defend her. Tonino suddenly explodes, slapping Angela violently and then beating up one of the boys. Giovanna and the others leave the theater. Tonino flees, and Giuliana blames Angela for the ordeal. Giovanna doesn’t feel sorry for her friend either. Giovanna rushes home while thinking about how love causes people to not see or think clearly. Tonino calls and reveals that he’s leaving for Venice; Giovanna is the only person he’s told. Giovanna also notes that her mother and Mariano emerge from her parents’ bedroom.

Giuliana’s anxiousness increases with Tonino’s absence. Tonino used to accompany her to Milan as a chaperone, but now that he’s gone she doesn’t know if she can visit with Roberto. She confides more in Giovanna, who suggests that Giuliana just tell Roberto honestly how she feels. Giuliana believes that one of Roberto’s colleagues, Michela, wants to steal him away. Giovanna eventually offers to call Roberto and tell him how Giuliana feels, and Giuliana accepts. Giovanna calls Roberto, who says that he knows exactly how Giuliana feels and intends to marry her. He likens his love for Giuliana to a spiritual debt to his hometown of Pascone, and he promises to try harder to help Giuliana see that she’s the only woman for him. Giovanna relays all this to Giuliana, who brightens. One day, however, the girls run into Rosario. Giovanna learns that Giuliana had sex with Rosario when they were younger, and Rosario likes to lord it over Giuliana. Giuliana warns Giovanna about Rosario. When she asks if Giovanna will accompany her to Milan to see Roberto, Giovanna immediately says yes.

Aunt Vittoria and Margherita lecture Giovanna on her role as chaperone for the Milan trip. She must ensure that Giuliana doesn’t have sex with Roberto. Though Giovanna thinks that Giuliana should have sex with whomever she wants, she doesn’t want to anger her aunt so agrees. When Giovanna tells her mother that she’s leaving for Milan with Giuliana, her mother reminds her that it’s Giovanna’s birthday weekend. There’s even a party planned. Giovanna promises to make it up, and though she thinks Roberto is more important than her parents, she also thinks, “I had the impression that I had wronged myself even more than my mother” (271-72). Giovanna sees herself as a background figure in everyone else’s life now, someone who forgets that they exist separately.

The train ride to Milan is a solemn one. Giuliana remains anxious, though she does reveal that Roberto was the one who suggested Giovanna be the chaperone to Milan. Giuliana also admits that she hates wearing Aunt Vittoria’s bracelet and explains its true origins: Enzo stole the bracelet from Margherita’s mother and gave it to Aunt Vittoria’s mother. Giuliana only wears it because Roberto likes it.

Giuliana becomes a different person once they arrive in Milan. Giovanna realizes that Giuliana and Roberto have a much more intimate relationship than anyone realizes. He tells Giuliana everything, and Giuliana plays the role of the dutiful, capable fiancée. When she falters, Roberto instantly reassures her that he loves her and only her. Giovanna begins wondering why she’s even in Milan as the couple’s intimacy overwhelms her. Giovanna also feels at times that Roberto is a younger version of her father. She doesn’t want to be a doting daughter, however, and she bristles at this strong resemblance.

Giovanna attends a dinner with Giuliana and Roberto. She sees how Roberto’s friends idolize him; he’s the glue that holds disparate people together. Michela takes over the conversation and stares intently at Roberto. Giuliana responds by saying something crude, and though the table descends into awkwardness, Roberto showers Giuliana with affection. Before the party ends, Roberto surprises Giovanna by having a cake brought out to celebrate her 16th birthday.

When Giuliana and Roberto later go to sleep, Giovanna wonders if they’re having sex. She hears them whispering, but then hears nothing from the room. Their silence forces Giovanna to question sex and whether she wants it. Though she doesn’t want to be Giuliana, and though she convinces herself that she doesn’t want to have sex with Roberto, she still feels restless and confused about her sexual feelings. Giuliana later sneaks to the bathroom to clean up, and Giovanna cries. The next morning, Giovanna makes breakfast for the couple. Though they could have put clothes on, they remain naked in bed while the three of them eat (Giovanna believes that Giuliana purposely engineered this tableau to show Giovanna how happy they are). Still confused, and feeling awkward, Giovanna cries when Roberto tells her that she’s beautiful, and Giuliana agrees.

On the train ride back to Naples, Giuliana talks incessantly about how Roberto doesn’t need her. Her anxiety returns full force, but Giovanna barely tries mediating. Instead, Giovanna focuses on why she thinks Roberto called her beautiful. She wonders if he was sending her a message about his true feelings for her. As they arrive in Naples, Giuliana can’t find Aunt Vittoria’s bracelet. Both girls shudder when thinking of Aunt Vittoria’s wrath. Giuliana even suggests that Michela will steal the bracelet if she goes to seduce Roberto and sees it. They call Roberto, who confirms that Giuliana left the bracelet at his apartment. Giuliana is so nervous that her hair begins falling out. Giovanna manages to get Giuliana on a train home and instructs her to tell Aunt Vittoria that Giovanna is borrowing the bracelet. Giovanna then calls Roberto and, nervous, heads back to Milan.

Giovanna says that her return to Milan is “[…] an ugly moment, maybe the worst of those ugly years” (299). She realizes that she isn’t returning for the bracelet; she’s returning to have sex with Roberto. She imagines her face conforming to that of Aunt Vittoria’s. Roberto makes dinner for them. Giovanna remains nervous and unsure of herself the entire night. When Roberto suggests that Giovanna sleep with him because the sleeper bed supposedly won’t open, she suddenly refuses his offer. She realizes then and there that Roberto is just like every other guy: He will have sex with her if she gives him the chance. She falls asleep regretting how even Roberto can so easily toy with women.