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A review by haydenreads
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
emotional
funny
reflective
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
I loved this book. When I started, I thought it would just be about siblings trying to make something of themselves, but it was so much more. It's about family and the different shapes it takes, it's how the same childhood can affect people differently. It's about identity - both as an individual and as a community. It's about trauma and how people hide it. It's about love - familial, romantic, platonic, and self-love.
Olga is the youngest daughter of Puerto Rican activists. Her father was an addict, which ultimately caused his demise but he clearly loved her and her older brother Prieto. Her mother was always looking to make a difference in the life of people and ended up the leader of a group in Puerto Rico while her mother raised her children in New York City. Prieto wanted to make his mother proud and became a politician, denied who he was and married a woman and had a daughter, and ended up tangled in webs he didn't know how to untangle. Olga went to an ivy-league school and tried to find the kind of success story Americans are more used to. She was successful in her career, but her life left her jaded and unable to truly connect.
The is a romance that doesn't take over the story, but is enjoyable. There's political intrigue that shapes not just Prieto's choices, but also Olga's. Throughout the story, there's a theme of gentrification as powerful, white men try to make the Brooklyn neighborhood Olga grew up in a haven for rich people who want to move to Brooklyn and these same men turn their eye to other places.
I won't say it's a happy story, because the subject matter gets difficult at times and I would recommend looking up content warnings if you typically need them. But there's enough humor and hope woven through the story that it was a truly enjoyable read.
Olga is the youngest daughter of Puerto Rican activists. Her father was an addict, which ultimately caused his demise but he clearly loved her and her older brother Prieto. Her mother was always looking to make a difference in the life of people and ended up the leader of a group in Puerto Rico while her mother raised her children in New York City. Prieto wanted to make his mother proud and became a politician, denied who he was and married a woman and had a daughter, and ended up tangled in webs he didn't know how to untangle. Olga went to an ivy-league school and tried to find the kind of success story Americans are more used to. She was successful in her career, but her life left her jaded and unable to truly connect.
The is a romance that doesn't take over the story, but is enjoyable. There's political intrigue that shapes not just Prieto's choices, but also Olga's. Throughout the story, there's a theme of gentrification as powerful, white men try to make the Brooklyn neighborhood Olga grew up in a haven for rich people who want to move to Brooklyn and these same men turn their eye to other places.
I won't say it's a happy story, because the subject matter gets difficult at times and I would recommend looking up content warnings if you typically need them. But there's enough humor and hope woven through the story that it was a truly enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship