For this week’s reading, I read the novel “Nada” by Carmen Leforet. I would like to start by saying, wow what a journey this book was to read. This book was dark and far from being light-hearted as it focused on gut-wrenching issues that families faced after the Spanish Civil War such as domestic struggles, poverty (living in horrible conditions), and class hierarchy. The story is narrated by a young girl named Andrea and it revolves around her dysfunctional family. There was a focus on the struggles within their relationships but to some extent, the family dynamics felt realistic. For example, Andreas’ aunt, Gloria was a victim of her husband Juan’s abuse and could not leave the marriage with ease. This struggle of leaving an abusive relationship can be relatable for some people as leaving such a situation involves many fears and sacrifices. At one point in the novel I empathized with Gloria as leaving such a situation can be easier said than done and especially felt horrible when her child was facing the brunt of the abuse as well. However, as the story progressed I started to lose this sense of empathy a bit as I felt like something was missing from her end. With that being said, I was not a fan of Juan as his character provoked emotions such as anger and hatred due to his actions. 

Additionally, one character whom I did not know how to feel about was the grandmother. She was loving and kind but at the same time, she possessed some traditional and what seemed like some sexist views. Throughout the novel, we learn the men are cheaters, abusive, and controlling yet the grandmother praises them in questionable ways. She tells the women to adapt to the traditional Christian ways while the men are toxic and harmful. 

Furthermore, shifting away from the bad and confusing characters I would say I enjoyed the relationship between Andrea and her friend Ena. Amongst all of the chaos that Andrea was experiencing with starting university, her family and moving she was able to find some sort of peace through Ena. I think this bond and friendship revealed that sometimes in life finding one person who is there for you can calm the storms of life. It is important to find the pillars in your life on which you can lean on in times of hardship. 

With that, I am sure my classmates who read this novel can relate to this feeling of not liking certain characters and being confused about others. Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel.

Discussion question:

If any, what character could you empathise or sympathise with the most in this novel and why?