The twenty-one stories that make up this book share a common theme: family and generational crises. The content reflects well the oxymoron in the Spanish title. In this sense, they can sometimes feel somewhat monotonous and repetitive.

Almost all of them end badly or signal a situation of rupture, either between couples or between parents and children. They are well written and accurately depict the tensions, sufferings, and psychology of the characters, with a direct, rather dry, and restrained style.

The result is a very pessimistic view of life and family relationships, and it also reflects profound changes in Danish society in the past century.