The Spanish Love Deception

One way in which Elena Armas depicts Lina’s competence is through her navigating the bustle of New York City. Lina knows her 45-minute subway commute by heart, naming local eateries and neighborhoods with ease. She never expresses awe at the city rush or the sight of towering skyscrapers, instead focusing on subtle distinctions such as a good pastry shop or the elements that make Aaron’s apartment luxurious. She is a New Yorker through and through, with Aaron recalling her critique of people’s attitudes in early winter, saying the first snow puts everyone in a bad mood.

These insights are significant because of Lina’s background as a small-town girl from coastal Spain. In showing Lina’s casual adaptation to the complex life of New York, Armas demonstrates just how capable and quick she is.

Having shown how adept and relaxed Lina is in New York City, Armas contrasts this lifestyle to that of Lina’s original home—an unnamed Spanish town along the northern seacoast. Welcomed by her family, Lina quickly slips back into the old habits and practices of her childhood, introducing Aaron to staples of rural Spanish life, such as abundant kiosks that sell ham sandwiches and dance crowds that flow from one nightspot to another.