Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

Summary:

Olga is a popular wedding planner in New York and her brother Pedro is a well loved congressman. Despite their outwardly appealing lives and jobs, their lives behind outside of the public eye are much less perfect. Family secrets, political turmoil, and personal struggles all play a part in discovering what it is to try to overcome all that stands in their way to a life they would like to live.

My thoughts:

One of the things that drew me in was the flow of the narrative. Most books that include Spanish text go out of the way to translate or paraphrase the non English text. This book was unapologetic in its use of Spanish phrases. It was refreshing and even slightly affirming to see a novel use Spanish so naturally.

For a fictional story, there are so many issues introduced that are relevant today and I felt truly sympathetic to Olga and Prieto for having to navigate them. I think that is part of what makes this book so great. The family and cultural dynamics are relatable in many ways especially for second, third, and fourth generation Latinx people in the United States. 

One of the only drawbacks for me was Olga’s character. I felt she could be judgmental and harsh all the while ignoring her own flows or acknowledging her way of thinking. However, this fits with who she was as a character and highlights her development throughout. 

I think this was a great read for me mainly for my personal connections to portions of the story. Overall I would recommend the book but I think it is important to understand what kind of book you are picking up.