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A review by jcstokes95
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This review contains spoilers. CW: Sexual assault
This books suffers from a combination of debut novel syndrome and MFA syndrome. Xochitl Gonzalez is setting her hopes for what to cover very high, but doesn't quite reach what she set out to achieve with total mastery. I think with a great editor this could have been a great book. Gonzalez's line-by-line writing quality is excellent; the first chapter sucked me in. It feels conversational but holds up to the serious subjects later in the book. The clever turns of phrase in the mother's letter felt vicious but realistic to strong writings of a revolutionary. I binged the first third of this. And then the second third hit, and I started realizing there was a real pacing issue.
At some point, it was clear Gonzalez was belaboring the point. The mom's a real asshole. I got that, I don't mind hearing why the children have hope she isn't. But at a certain point it was eyeroll inducing and it was time to move on. The hurricane hasn't showed up yet, and the tension has been building so long that now it feels like there is no tension.
In the third act of the book, the pacing and plot become even more nuts. By this point, it's clear Gonzalez is shoving too many 'issues' in the book: hoarding, emotional abuse, HIV status, suicide, classism, extreme socialist agendas (?), political corruption and more. This issue overload is what I mean by MFA syndrome. Too much without the ability to carry it. All of this is already happening and then out of left field our author adds in a rape. I cannot decide if the rape is germane to the plot or a strange 'twist' she felt necessary to sustain interest. Because at no point do consequences befall anyone (not just the perpetrator, but the victim seemed unaffected fairly quickly). Olga's boyfriend's response to the rape, by the way, is a cringe inducing complaint about his own feelings of abandonment.
Despite the drag of the middle, the last 50 pages tidies up multiple plot points with some real annoying dei ex machina, like, 'my boyfriend's rich actually', and 'my blackmailers are too busy to enforce their consequences on me'. These made me wonder, why did I slog through the middle?
This is not to say I did not enjoy many components of Gonzalez's writing. Like I said, the writing itself is very engaging and clever. She has really mastered creating brilliant characters. Everyone felt real and fully fleshed. The folks I considered villainous had their actions accounted for and she got inside their heads with a sense of empathy that many writers wouldn't. It takes a real talent to have this many characters feel equally real. I would read another one of her books, provided a great editor could help her with the pacing issues and plot overload that held this one back from being a favorite.
This books suffers from a combination of debut novel syndrome and MFA syndrome. Xochitl Gonzalez is setting her hopes for what to cover very high, but doesn't quite reach what she set out to achieve with total mastery. I think with a great editor this could have been a great book. Gonzalez's line-by-line writing quality is excellent; the first chapter sucked me in. It feels conversational but holds up to the serious subjects later in the book. The clever turns of phrase in the mother's letter felt vicious but realistic to strong writings of a revolutionary. I binged the first third of this. And then the second third hit, and I started realizing there was a real pacing issue.
At some point, it was clear Gonzalez was belaboring the point. The mom's a real asshole. I got that, I don't mind hearing why the children have hope she isn't. But at a certain point it was eyeroll inducing and it was time to move on. The hurricane hasn't showed up yet, and the tension has been building so long that now it feels like there is no tension.
In the third act of the book, the pacing and plot become even more nuts. By this point, it's clear Gonzalez is shoving too many 'issues' in the book: hoarding, emotional abuse, HIV status, suicide, classism, extreme socialist agendas (?), political corruption and more. This issue overload is what I mean by MFA syndrome. Too much without the ability to carry it.
Despite the drag of the middle, the last 50 pages tidies up multiple plot points with some real annoying dei ex machina,
This is not to say I did not enjoy many components of Gonzalez's writing. Like I said, the writing itself is very engaging and clever. She has really mastered creating brilliant characters. Everyone felt real and fully fleshed. The folks I considered villainous had their actions accounted for and she got inside their heads with a sense of empathy that many writers wouldn't. It takes a real talent to have this many characters feel equally real. I would read another one of her books, provided a great editor could help her with the pacing issues and plot overload that held this one back from being a favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Rape, and Suicide
Minor: Drug abuse