by Kristen B.
Olga Dies Dreaming recounts the complicated story of a complicated woman. Olga Alcevedo has the life she always dreamed of – a successful business that allows her to move among the rich and famous, make guest appearances on TV, and live in an apartment of her own, a respectable distance from her large, loving Puerto Rican family in New York. Personal space is non-negotiable, especially with Olga’s cousin/best friend Mabel getting married soon – meaning that the family house is overflowing with drama. Did I mention Olga is a wedding planner? She knows about napkins!
Olga’s mother is an absent revolutionary, so she was essentially raised by her beloved grandmother (Abuelita) and her long-time single Tia Lola. Olga’s brother Prieto is a U. S. Congressman, representing their home district – another local success story. All seems right, until it doesn’t. Beneath the veneer of perfection, the Alcevedo family nurtures many hurts and secrets.
The book follows the siblings as they wrestle with their inner demons, mostly caused by their mother. Blanca is a woman with a cause: securing an independent future for Puerto Rico. Once a member of the Young Lords, Blanca has returned to her home island to orchestrate its liberation. She keeps tabs on her children and sends them long letters offering advice and indoctrination. Through Blanca’s letters, author Gonzalez imparts quite a bit of historical information about Puerto Rico (or Boriken, its pre-colonial name).
At its heart, this book might, just maybe, be a romance. Or perhaps the romance simply sets the framework for all the other heartache to develop. In the first chapter, Olga stops at a local bar after attending a funeral for a friend who has died of an untreated HIV infection. She meets and has an immediate attraction to Matteo, a successful realtor with a self-admitted hoarding issue. Their relationship winds through the story, as Olga comes to understand she has met her match – and she doesn’t know what to do with that revelation.
Even though the book is set in recent years, leading up to and dealing with Hurricane Maria in 2017, the specter of HIV/AIDS haunts the story. Maria’s friend from the opening scene died from the disease, as did her dad, having contracted it as a drug addict. Her brother Prieto is living in the closet as a gay man, and the disease becomes part of his story, too.
That’s not even everything going on in this book! There’s the rich businessman obsessed with Olga. And the champagne she’s fencing for Russian mobsters. And, and … and all the puzzle pieces eventually interlock to create a full picture of Olga’s life. I devoured the second half of the book because I wanted (needed) everyone to find their happy endings. Fortunately, the author delivered, although not in the way I was expecting, and I had to sweat the details along the way. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, where I learned something despite it all.
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez is available in print, as an e-book, and as an e-audiobook.
Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball in season (but not all at the same time).
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