A review by subpolka
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González
3.0
Three stars - perfectly fine, but didn't blow me away.
Equal parts fiction and history text, but attempts to meld the two felt a bit clunky and immediately took me out of the story. The characters were underdeveloped, the plot lines a bit too "YA Guide to Colonialism and Gentrification" (which yes, of course, absolutely, f*ck both of these things, but the presentation was just tired cliché after cliché), the overall writing was a big ol' Meh, and the ending felt rushed.
Look: It's clear that the author had grand ambitions and poured her whole heart into this one, but ultimately, it was too much for a single book to manage and IMO, she missed the mark as a result.
Equal parts fiction and history text, but attempts to meld the two felt a bit clunky and immediately took me out of the story. The characters were underdeveloped, the plot lines a bit too "YA Guide to Colonialism and Gentrification" (which yes, of course, absolutely, f*ck both of these things, but the presentation was just tired cliché after cliché), the overall writing was a big ol' Meh, and the ending felt rushed.
Look: It's clear that the author had grand ambitions and poured her whole heart into this one, but ultimately, it was too much for a single book to manage and IMO, she missed the mark as a result.