![]() It was the golden hour when Olga found herself on what she imagined was one of the last underdeveloped corners of Williamsburg, navigating the broken concrete sidewalks in her heels. Their destinies converge explosively in the advent and aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island. Her mother, Blanca, who abandoned the children when they were young, is fighting for Puerto Rican independence. Olga’s brother, Prieto, is the local congressman, living with many secrets. ![]() Olga enjoys the city nightlife and doesn’t much like commitment. ![]() What matters however in this novel is less the divide between the haves and have-nots, but what happens when power, family legacy and politics converge. She makes a living as a wedding planner to rich white folks, Manhattanites, and the author previously was in that profession, so she has wonderful insights into that world. Olga is of Puerto Rican descent, living in Brooklyn in a neighborhood largely Latino. A first novel written with the assurance and talent of a more seasoned writer and an homage to a people, and community, under-represented in fiction and in the media. ![]() Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez is one. Now and then, a novel comes on the radar that should be more widely read than it might. ![]()
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