Reading Nada honestly felt kind of heavy, but in a way that stuck with me. It follows Andrea, a young woman who moves to Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War to start university. She shows up excited and hopeful, imagining this new chapter of her life, and then almost immediately that optimism gets crushed. The apartment she moves into with her family is tense, chaotic, and emotionally draining, and it really sets the tone for the whole book.
What really got me was how lonely Andrea feels the entire time. She’s never actually alone, but no one really sees her either. Her family is constantly arguing, holding onto resentment, and dealing with their own emotional mess, so there’s no space for warmth or care. The house feels loud and suffocating, yet somehow empty at the same time. It made me think about how loneliness can exist even when you’re surrounded by people.
Andrea herself felt very relatable. She’s quiet and observant, and she kind of just absorbs everything happening around her. She doesn’t dramatically rebel or confront anyone, but you can tell she’s trying to protect herself in small ways. Her friendship with Ena was such a breath of fresh air. Those moments felt lighter and almost hopeful, like a reminder that another kind of life might exist outside of that apartment.
I also really liked the way Laforet writes. Nothing is overexplained, and there aren’t big dramatic plot twists. Instead, the mood does all the work. The descriptions of the apartment and the city slowly build this feeling of exhaustion and emotional heaviness. Even though the war isn’t talked about constantly, you can feel its impact everywhere, especially in how broken and tense everyone seems.
Overall, Nada isn’t an easy or comforting read, but I’m really glad we read it. It captures that feeling of being young and hopeful, then realizing that adulthood and independence aren’t as freeing as you imagined. It’s quiet, sad, and very reflective, and it definitely stayed with me after I finished.
Discussion Question: do you think Andrea actually finds freedom at the end, or is she just leaving one difficult situation for another?