Audiolibro "Siete casas vacías" de Samanta Schweblin. C1. "Nada de todo esto"

Title: Seven Empty Houses Author: Samanta Schweblin Country: Argentina Original Language: Spanish First Publication: 2015 Original Publisher: Páginas de Espuma (Spain) Award: Ribera del Duero International Short Story Prize 2015 Genre: Short Stories / Contemporary Fiction / Disturbing Realism Number of Stories: 7 Main Themes: Loneliness, routine, loss, madness, family, the everyday and the strange Seven Empty Houses is a collection of short stories by the Argentine writer Samanta Schweblin, first published in 2015 by Páginas de Espuma. The work brings together seven stories that revolve around the domestic, the everyday, and the seemingly normal, but where, beneath the surface, a sense of strangeness, unease, and emotional emptiness seeps through. Each story unfolds in ordinary spaces—houses, neighborhoods, families, hospitals—where the familiar becomes distorted, revealing a psychological and moral fragility. Schweblin explores the subtle ruptures that expose the unsettling nature of daily life: an inappropriate gesture, a silence, an irrational impulse, or a loss that throws the world into disarray. Her characters are often women, the elderly, or children, figures on the margins of stability, who confront absurd or disturbing situations with a naturalness that amplifies their intimate horror. With a precise, taut, and stark style, the author transforms the trivial into an extreme experience, bordering on psychological realism and existential terror. The book received the 2015 Ribera del Duero Short Story Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for short stories in Spanish, and solidified Schweblin's position as one of the most original and acclaimed voices in contemporary Spanish literature. Stories included: “None of This” – An elderly woman steals objects from other people’s houses with unsettling innocence. “My Parents and My Children” – A married couple faces emotional distance and a breakdown in family communication. “Cavernous Breathing” – Domestic routine becomes a form of oppression and fear. “Forty Square Centimeters” – An elderly woman reacts disconcertingly to illness and decline. “The Mermaid Man” – A chance encounter alters the perception of what is real and what is desirable. “Dad’s on Fire” – A child innocently observes a disturbing event. “Seven Empty Houses” – The title story: material and emotional emptiness become indistinguishable.