Elena Ferrante’s Children’s Book Is Coming to the U.S.
The Beach at Night is a creepy tale about a doll
American fans of Elena Ferrante’sNeapolitan novels can soon share their love for the author with their daughters and sons: An English translation of her children’s bookThe Beach at Night will soon be published in the U.S.
The book, originally published in Italy in 2007, is related to her novel The Lost Daughter, in which a doll features heavily. In this version, the doll is abandoned by its owner and goes on to have terrifying nocturnal adventures.
The Beach at Night is 38 pages long, with color illustrations by Mara Cerri, and is intended for readers ages 6 to 10, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Ferrante’s English-language translator Ann Goldstein has taken on the project, and early previews reveal fairy tale-like eeriness: “A Beach Attendant arrives, I don’t like his eyes,” one part reads. “I see the hairs of his mustache moving over his lips like lizards’ tails.”
The book will arrive in stores in December—the perfect holiday present for children who like their stories spooky.