Carmen Laforet wrote this at 23. What. How. Time’s a-ticking for me I suppose.
The main character, Andrea, had my heart from the start, her desire for independence, her dreams of Barcelona which are swiftly crushed by her dysfunctional family. At first, it’s her Aunt Angustias that seems the most overbearing, telling her that “in all of Spain no city resembles hell more than Barcelona” (17) but within a few pages we are shown the true horrors of the household, when her uncle Juan starts spewing obscenities at his wife.
Then she meets Ena, her new best friend at university, who brings light to her dark days. At times I thought the descriptions of Ena’s elegance and wit to be a bit over-the top, but then I recall my own bubbly best friend and accept it as fact. That is of course, until Ena, essentially bored of being a rich girl, decides to stir things up Andrea’s eccentric uncle Roman, who had a thing for her mom back in the day(!?) so it’s really just a mess.
Andrea’s life is just a mess honestly, and I think it’s important to note that she is literally STARVING the entire novel, as is her entire family. Still, I found her to be a very interesting character, someone incredibly wise, even while acknowledging her own naivety and supposed selfishness. Her humility and insecurities made her a more realistic eighteen-year-old and overall, a rather endearing character.
What I loved most about the novel though was it’s almost gothic atmosphere. I felt like I was reading a spooky ghost story with the start of every chapter beginning with some tragic description of the weather:
“Those nights ran like black river beneath the bridges of the days, nights when stagnant odours gave off the breath of ghosts” (207).
“That stormy sky entered my lungs and blinded me with sorrow” (256).
Okay Andrea. Such descriptive and melancholic prose could be brushed off as teenage angst, but this not just a simple coming of age novel. And in fact, calling it “spooky” was a mistake on my part. Some of her family members are genuinely cruel and there is so much domestic violence in the book, which really only Andrea escapes from at the end. I suppose the family is meant to reflect the chaotic state of the city after the Spanish civil war, which is mentioned here and there. My question is; what else could Andrea’s family represent? All in all a beautiful book but man, it hurt my heart to read. Gloria, I hope you get out of there. And Andrea, boy am I glad you did.
Sofia Rocha Zandbergen
6 replies on “Nada (Surviving, not Thriving)”
Hello Sofia,
I enjoyed reading your take on Andrea’s story. As for your question, I think the dynamics represent a population (a sample population in this case; a family) affected by war and its ensuing consequences on the individual level, as well as in dynamics. I am glad Andrea got out of her situation. I would have hoped for Gloria to leave as well.
Hi Sophia! I really liked your point about Andrea literally starving throughout the novel, because it makes her survival feel even more real. I also loved how you described the atmosphere as almost gothic at first and then corrected that by pointing out how much of it is actually cruelty and routine violence. As for your question, I wonder if Andrea’s family represents not just post war chaos, but a future that Andrea is actively refusing to inherit by leaving.
Sorry, Sofia! I spelt your name wrong 🙁
Here I echo Kavya’s comment: there’s also the issue of what is inherited, what is taken, and what is rejected, and not only in economic terms, for example, regarding who owns what’s in the house and what can or can’t be sold, as we read in one episode. There are also interrupted stories that others can pick up, or not.
Hi Sofia, very great read. Andrea also holds a special place in my heart. I feel like Andrea’s family represents her trauma in a weird kind of way, as it shows that Andrea is struggling to leave things behind in the past.
“I felt like I was reading a spooky ghost story”
I totally agree! I was listening to my “sad but emo” playlist while reading, and it was quite the experience. Although, thats literally me romanticising the book, the same way Andrea has learned to NOT do that with her life. Like you said, theres domestic violence, affairs, war, poverty, which are not aspects that should be idealized. But if the novel’s written this beautifully I kind of have no choice lol. The metaphors in this book were so poetic, it helped to really immerse me into Andrea’s world. Thank you for your post Sofia!