When my book guru Stephanie Peterman recommended a novel about a Manhattan wedding planner who specializes in lavish events I thought to myself, “Steph has never steered me wrong but why is she having me read this book?” Because there’s way more to Olga Dies Dreaming than event planning. In fact, even though her job is an important part of why Olga is who she is, it serves more as the framework of the narrative rather than the main point.
Instead, Xochitl Gonzalez’s story is really about two Puerto Rican siblings raised in Brooklyn by their grandmother because their politically rebellious parents (more specifically their mother) thought it was more important to fight for their causes than be present for their children so she abandoned them. And their father turned out to be a junkie whose tragic end came after turning into an incredible liability to both of his children who become successful adults in spite of their parents. “I felt pissed off about it…At him for using, at my mom for giving up on him. At my brother for enabling him.” Conversely and thankfully, their grandmother “was a hustler who actually got things done.”
Although Olga and Pedro aka Prieto (who is a local congressman) are very different, they would do anything for one another. “Whenever he got into a bind – personal, professional, political – his sister was always his first call.” Over the course of the story, they find out how their mother, who is nowhere to be found, has somehow dictated their lives from afar through her occasional letters that are at best intrusive and at worst manipulative. There is never a return address, and her kids have no idea where she is, yet she somehow knows everything about them and thinks it’s her right to weigh in on and judge their lives. Instead of actually caring about who they are and what they do, all she cares about is furthering her own political agenda. It’s beyond gross.
In addition to learning about their family, we also learn about Olga’s three love interests – Matteo, Reggie, and Dick – who are extremely dissimilar from one another. My favorite character in this entire book is Matteo who is initially described as “wearing a massive JanSport book bag, stuffed like that of an overachieving eighth grader from an era before laptop computers.” I laughed out loud when I read that! He is fun and charismatic and he cares. His and Olga’s dynamic is one of the best parts of the story. When I imagine what Reggie looks like I think of a hip-hop mogul like Jay-Z. If you read the book you’ll understand what I mean. My least favorite character is Richard aka Dick (his name fits his personality) for so many reasons. “Although life had rarely wounded Richard, Olga discovered that he bruised easily.” He’s an awful human being.
Gonzalez’s ability to keep these characters complex and worthy of respective backstories is impressive. Also, the dialogue – especially the conversations between Olga and Matteo – is probably a big reason this book is a New York Times bestseller. There is a lot that goes on with all the characters over the course of many years and the author ensures that the reader is able to keep it all straight. One of my favorite scenes is when Olga helps her frenemy cousin bejewel and bedazzle favors for her wedding. That scene, with all the adjacent family members involved, says a lot about Olga, Prieto, and the way they survived their childhood. In terms of an overall theme, the book is a reminder that kids, no matter their age, always want to make their parents proud to some degree.
Quotes:
“If Olga walked on water it was only because Prieto had already parted the Red Sea.”
“She felt happy when she saw him in a way that was new to her. He was soothing.”
“She wanted to know the size and shape of the hole that had been left in his heart that requires so many objects to fill it. She found herself envious that he had identified something to pack it with.”
“What could Lourdes tell him about herself that would ever make him love her less? Nothing. He wondered if she knew that.”
“Weddings, she quickly discovered, were about everything except the health of a couple’s relationship. They were social performances, the purpose of which varied from family to family. And they were competitive.”
“You care for people. You see them. You see their flaws, but you can accept them as they are.”
The sight of Matteo “electrified her. Filled her with relief and joy.”
“You must be doing something right that she decided to show you the full circus.”
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