Olga Dies Dreaming, by Xochitl Gonzalez. Pub 2021
Another from the Christmas bounty from my sister, I chose this book based on a recommendation from a friend. While the setting and story elements are different, the tone and style (and even the cover art) are reminiscent of Lessons in Chemistry, and like that book, this was also a fun, unchallenging read.
Olga Avecedo is a high-end wedding planner – bringing the dreams of rich American princesses to life on their big days. Olga does not come from this world, but has worked and pushed her way into it, and is a savvy and aggressive in her business. Olga and her brother – Prieto, a congressman – a from Brooklyn, specifically the Puerto Rican diaspora of that neighbourhood. When teenagers, their mother abandons the family to return to her revolutionary efforts for Puerto Rican independence. Their father dissolves after this, and the centre of the family becomes their grandmother and their large collection of aunts, uncles, and cousins. As adults, both children are ambitious and successful, striving for their own accomplishments while trying not to lose connection to their community and their past. After the cataclysm of Hurricane Maria in 2017, the siblings experience various epiphanies that align their lives back to their values and heritage, and bring each of them the love and happiness they’ve so long been without.
Although there are some heavily serious elements to the story – terrorism, sexual assault, suicide – these are all treated rather lightly, which makes sense in a story that is focused on the individual lives of Olga and Prieto, but it was surprising how little import these were given. Indeed, more space is given to each sibling’s self-pity parties (of which each has several in the novel), and while some of these can be tiresome and cliché (how many times can someone lock themselves up at home and get drunk for days on end), ultimately these make the characters more human against the backdrop of those more serious topics. There could have been more serious exploration of the shameful history of the US’s treatment of (not for) Puerto Rico and its people, but enough is said to provide context for the story without too much diatribe to take away from the characters and main story. The resolution of their lives, including each giving up their assumptions of success for love and happiness, is appropriate and proportionate. Like most people, they do what they can for the things that are important to them globally, but don’t lose sight of those that are important to them locally. Their worlds are both large and small, making them utterly relatable.
Fate: This would make a great vacation or beach read, and so I’ll likely contribute it to the little book library across the street for someone else to find for their summer holidays.
7 – an author’s debut
8 – female author
9 – being made into a film
14 – name in the title
25 – new author to me
27 – a gift
rclr 