Nothing Themes

Human beings don't come much more dissatisfied than Pierre Anthon. Say what you will about gloom and doom news in America, but don't even try to compete with the Danes. Pierre Anthon's primary sour...

Let's rack up a body count for Nothing, shall we? There's Emil Jensen, then Cinderella the dog, then Oscarlittle the hamster, who succumbs to the frost when December rolls around. And, last but not...

Nothing just may be one of the most violent young adult books you'll ever read, what with the rape, murder, and chopping off of body parts. It's right up there with Lord of the Flies and A Clo...

In Nothing, sex unfortunately equals rape. Some might argue that Sofie consents, but it's clear that what goes down in the warehouse is an act of sexual violence that raises some hairy, scary quest...

Defeat in Nothing is a pretty high-stakes loss. To admit defeat to Pierre Anthon is not just to lose, it's to lose to the dude who's been spitting plum pits at you and telling you the best thing yo...

Quick, name two places in which appearances are really, really important. If you said "7th grade" and "the art world," give yourself a gold star, because now you're thinking like a Danish YA author...

Nothing ends with a big ol' revenge-fest. Agnes manages to get away from Gerda's fists of fury and bring Pierre Anthon back to the sawmill at long last, only to participate in his murder. The desir...

Sacrifice is perhaps the most straightforward of all the themes in Nothing. There's no metaphor here; people are literally giving up the things that are most important to them. In the case of Oscar...