A review by partybonus
Nefando by Mónica Ojeda

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

READ EVERY TW on other reviews before reading this book! There are too many to list for me. I had to skip over a few passages and still can't get a lot of this off my mind BUT I also felt like I had to finish it so while I do think it's well written and Monica Ojeda is a fascinatingly dark author, I can't recommend this to anyone without a huge warning.

At its heart, it's about deeply flawed 20 somethings living in an apartment in Spain together. One Spanish videogame programmer and part time thief, two Mexican writers in school in Spain, and three Ecuadorian siblings who don't go to class. They all take turns narrating for the most part. It's really the siblings' story but they speak the least. I'm heartbroken but also wish I spoke and read in Spanish because I wonder how different some of the themes would come across.

It's brutal and bleak but some would say so is being alive.