: The story contrasts the "peaceful" monarchical past of Santander—once the summer residence of Alfonso XIII—with the high-tension provincial atmosphere of the Second Republic.
The novel functions as a Bildungsroman (novel of formation) that examines how youthful idealism can lead to tragic political choices.
: The work won the Premio Francisco Umbral and the Premio de la Crítica de Madrid . Santander, 1936 - Álvaro Pombo - Google Books