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A review by laurenisallbooked
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this novel about identity, love, home, and politics -- and how messy the path is to finding and nurturing each of those.
Gonzalez's writing is funny and sharp. The way she conveyed the indominable presence of Olga's mother and dominance of her voice, when the woman herself isn't really in the book, was so powerful. The parallel between Olga's mother and a literal hurricane!! Touching down briefly and leaving a path of destruction that will take years, and support from many others, to repair.
It was beautiful how each character had a relationship where we watched their healing, in stark contrast to the relationships where we watched them suffer harm. My only gripe is that I wish the narrative had been a little tighter; the end felt rushed relative to the rest of the novel.
Gonzalez's writing is funny and sharp. The way she conveyed the indominable presence of Olga's mother and dominance of her voice, when the woman herself isn't really in the book, was so powerful. The parallel between Olga's mother and a literal hurricane!! Touching down briefly and leaving a path of destruction that will take years, and support from many others, to repair.
It was beautiful how each character had a relationship where we watched their healing, in stark contrast to the relationships where we watched them suffer harm. My only gripe is that I wish the narrative had been a little tighter; the end felt rushed relative to the rest of the novel.
He offered the words to her, loaded as they were with meaning. And she accepted what he said with gentle care. Fear and affection bubbled warm in her chest. ... She wanted to tell him that she was honored that it was her. That she understood pain like that. That, for her, instead of filling her house, she had slowly stripped herself bare, until there was nothing. But she was too out of the practice of loving, in that moment, to say those things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Rape