I actually quite liked this one despite how long it was. Though I can’t tell how much of the writing style is Laforet and how much is the translation, it’s by far my favourite so far (though the bar is low). I’m starting to think it may not be the texts that are the issue and that I’m just bad at names between this story and ‘The Shrouded Woman’… or maybe I need to stop reading the books late at night. Or both. Probably both.
One thing I liked about this book was that it felt plausible, it felt like it could’ve happened to anyone. Andrea started excited to go to Barcelona for university, and to live with her relatives, but it just does downhill in a lot of ways. That being said I can appreciate that it isn’t all negative, there are nice hints of fun, and friendship, and such. Interspersed between the casual cruelty and general dysfunctionality of her family/home life, is Ena and Andrea’s other friends, and even Gloria. Her story here isn’t so one note despite the overarching feeling of heaviness and despair due to the political and personal settings. I kind of love the way the family and their home is described as though they and it all are dead, like they (or at least a part of them) had died in the civil war, I love how it shows, even subtly at times, the effects of the war. Phrases like: the air was “stagnant and rotting”, the scene was “agonizing”, and more.
One thing I can also appreciate the fact that it showed Andrea’s preconceptions about Barcelona, ones that were proven wrong: ‘… since all my impressions were enveloped in the wonder of having come, at last, to a big city, adored in my daydreams because it was unknown” (pg. 3). She daydreams about the city through rose-tinted glasses, which then transfers to her perception of the events around her.
One thing I loved was the focus on art and the pursuing of it. Even today, pursuing art (not just something in ‘Arts’ but actual art) is often seen as silly and basically dooming youtself to be poor and destitute. This is especially true with the rise of AI and some people seeing art as worthless, or something that needs to be easier and less effortful, as though it’s a right and not a privilege. With that in mind, the fact that it’s such a focus for the story as whole, is amazing in my perspective. Art is something that goes back to the earliest of humans, we’ve seen it through every era, so to see these people in a post civil war environment, the country arguably in ruins, still pursuing art, just feels right as though everything is coming full circle. I mean even her uncles have (had, more or less) artistic jobs. I’d argue this is almost an aspect of hope? The world didn’t truly end despite it feeling like it did for those people. It does kind of make me wonder if there’s anything more inherently human than the prospensity to create art?
All of that being said, despite everything, does Andrea truly take away nothing?
5 replies on “Nada – the exact amount of resolution it felt like we got :(”
“Though I can’t tell how much of the writing style is Laforet and how much is the translation, it’s by far my favourite so far (though the bar is low).” Perhaps this will be a topic of discussion later. Some books are easier to translate, while others become a different version… which, however, could be interesting. Surely there will be some you like more in the future! Or at least we hope so 🙁
Don’t forget to use categories (this week: Laforet) and tags (to indicate key concepts and ideas in your post: expectations? war? art?).
Hi!, i really enjoyed reading through your blog, i love how you focused on the art and effects of war. The discussion question is really interesting to me because my takeaway from my read was that she just survived. I wouldn’t say its truly nothing, she definitely learned some life lessons and i think that’s what makes this story realistic.
I agree, I enjoyed this novel as well! In regards to the question, I think Andrea might not truly learn “nothing” in the end – even she herself acknowledges that. I think that it’s because she wanted to achieve so much, but didn’t, that she feels this frustrating emptiness at having learned “nothing”. However, upon reflection, she’ll find that she can learn something from these experiences, regardless of whether they were what she wanted to learn or not.
I fully agree with you on how it wasn’t entirely negative and this idea of it plausible. Also, I love the way you’ve described how Andrea daydreams about the city through rose-tinted glasses never thought of it like that way!