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A review by richardbakare
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
4.0
Xochitil Gonzalez has a way of crafting unapologetically messy people in a way that reminds me of Sally Rooney’s writing. Gonzalez leverages her drama laden characters as a foreground as vehicles for social commentary on race, sex, power dynamics, and inequality. Each character is rich in detail, complex in development, and meaningful in presence. It’s no wonder this book shot to the top of so many book lists in 2022. Even almost 2 years later its commentary on the clown presidency years and its impacts is still relevant.
Specifically, Gonzalez gives a refreshing take on a big bad of an antagonist. Casting them in the shadows as a character not physically present for most of the book. Yet, whose emotional and spiritual havoc that they lay on our principal actors is so telling. It makes the final reveal so cinematic in ways. I love a book where setting is also a meaningful character. Despite the title, this is a novel about a people, a culture, and specifically a place. Or places I should say. One a place filled with so much beauty and potential yet so wholly abused and neglected by America that it now perfectly represents the evils of colonialism. A poignant take on the chaotic relationship between the mainland and Puerto Rico.
The other a place where the “eat the rich” narrative is exemplified by the worker class and their always compromised relationships with the powerful. The perspective switching narrative style ensures that all sides are represented in this dance. But the ending, with a few too many convenient happy moments outcomes, falls short for a plot layered with so much drama. The biggest takeaway from this novel is that real agency and power comes out of deep truth telling. It is a pathway to freedom and healing. What you keep in the shadows gives people agency over you.
Specifically, Gonzalez gives a refreshing take on a big bad of an antagonist. Casting them in the shadows as a character not physically present for most of the book. Yet, whose emotional and spiritual havoc that they lay on our principal actors is so telling. It makes the final reveal so cinematic in ways. I love a book where setting is also a meaningful character. Despite the title, this is a novel about a people, a culture, and specifically a place. Or places I should say. One a place filled with so much beauty and potential yet so wholly abused and neglected by America that it now perfectly represents the evils of colonialism. A poignant take on the chaotic relationship between the mainland and Puerto Rico.
The other a place where the “eat the rich” narrative is exemplified by the worker class and their always compromised relationships with the powerful. The perspective switching narrative style ensures that all sides are represented in this dance. But the ending, with a few too many convenient happy moments outcomes, falls short for a plot layered with so much drama. The biggest takeaway from this novel is that real agency and power comes out of deep truth telling. It is a pathway to freedom and healing. What you keep in the shadows gives people agency over you.