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A review by redwrapped
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of the books that I can see being touted as a strong contender for awards honoring the American experience and for best debut novel, and rightfully so, due to the breadth of unflinching honesty woven throughout Olga Dies Dreaming.
Olga Acevedo is an American woman facing the internal struggle that so many feel, to be seen as she sees herself, yet Olga isn't necessarily sure of who she is or to whom her loyalty is strongest. She has lived her entire life in Brooklyn and feels American, but her family hails from Puerto Rico. She feels alienated by the rich, white WASP clientele she serves as an elite wedding planner, and is crucially separated by distance and emotional warmth toward her mother.
Her mother, Blanca, left Olga, her brother Prieto, and their father behind in Brooklyn to try to embolden and free Puerto Rico from the United States through revolutionary action, becoming a fugitive for terroristic ties and disappearing entirely except for barbed, critical letters sent to her family members, guiding them what to do. Blanca's dedication to the cause is stronger than to her children or her marriage.
The theme circulates around love and all the complexities of it: love for your country, love for family, love for life, and love for someone new. Despite how heavy and political it can be, the tone is never cynical, but made up of hope and resilience, and that adds a tender sort of strength to each of the love stories in here.
While reading this, I was compelled to read about the history of Puerto Rican resistance and mainland America's lack of aid or respect toward the archipelago. My viewpoint toward statehood or the United States relinquishing control over Puerto Rico has been altered, due to the compelling argument in this book and for the fact it drove me to independently research the toll and fundamental inadequacies that Puerto Rico faces due to its indeterminate status as a territory and not as a state with the level of protective measures for emergency aid as another state would have, usage of natural resources for electricity, etc.
Thanks to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Olga Acevedo is an American woman facing the internal struggle that so many feel, to be seen as she sees herself, yet Olga isn't necessarily sure of who she is or to whom her loyalty is strongest. She has lived her entire life in Brooklyn and feels American, but her family hails from Puerto Rico. She feels alienated by the rich, white WASP clientele she serves as an elite wedding planner, and is crucially separated by distance and emotional warmth toward her mother.
Her mother, Blanca, left Olga, her brother Prieto, and their father behind in Brooklyn to try to embolden and free Puerto Rico from the United States through revolutionary action, becoming a fugitive for terroristic ties and disappearing entirely except for barbed, critical letters sent to her family members, guiding them what to do. Blanca's dedication to the cause is stronger than to her children or her marriage.
The theme circulates around love and all the complexities of it: love for your country, love for family, love for life, and love for someone new. Despite how heavy and political it can be, the tone is never cynical, but made up of hope and resilience, and that adds a tender sort of strength to each of the love stories in here.
While reading this, I was compelled to read about the history of Puerto Rican resistance and mainland America's lack of aid or respect toward the archipelago. My viewpoint toward statehood or the United States relinquishing control over Puerto Rico has been altered, due to the compelling argument in this book and for the fact it drove me to independently research the toll and fundamental inadequacies that Puerto Rico faces due to its indeterminate status as a territory and not as a state with the level of protective measures for emergency aid as another state would have, usage of natural resources for electricity, etc.
Thanks to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Cancer, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Drug abuse