Yocandra, the first-person narrator, was born (like Valdes herself) in Havana in 1959. Now a dispirited, outspoken woman living in Cuba, narrator writes of a reality of ‘nothing’ that contrasts poignantly with that of a gusana friend in Madrid with whom she exchanges letters. This colloquial, idiomatic translation of La nada cotidiana reflects work’s humor and word play. Brief but helpful translator’s notes.