Lo raro es vivir is the only novel of the 1990s in which Martín Gaite gives the leading role to a woman much younger than herself, and so bestows this novel a special place in her oeuvre. It is written from the point of view of a generation of women born in the late 1950s, and repeats many of the themes discussed in Martín Gaite's other novels of the 1990s – the relationship between parents and children, divorce, Madrid nightlife, alcohol, drugs and lack of motivation amongst young people. Águeda, the protagonist of the novel, closes a chapter of her life involving the apathy and indifference that followed the first years of the movida, and moves into another chapter where she is able to take decisions for herself, continue with her career and create a family, all of which give her purpose in life. In this novel there is an underlying belief in hope for the future.

Águeda does, however, have certain characteristics in common with Martín Gaite and some of her earlier characters. She is a researcher who works in archives, which links her with Martín Gaite's own work as a cultural and historical researcher. And like other characters of the 1990s novels, Águeda goes on a series of quests, not only to find out about her research subject but also about her own life.