“Olga Dies Dreaming”
I’ve been spending A LOT of my time immersed in the magic of death midwifery. I suspect that’s why my reading has been reflecting a desire to imagine, to be more playful and to let go a bit. Olga Dies Dreaming @olgadiesdreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez has been an invitation to slip into another world and let myself dream.
The main character of this novel, Olga, is as fierce as she is frank. Olga’s story of identity, belonging and community plays out for the reader against a backdrop of modern New York City. We slip into a vibrant world of reconciliations; Olga’s devotion to materialism in contrast to her upbringing of hostility for capitalism, the tricky dance that navigates individuating yourself from the deep roots of your family, belonging to American culture but in a subset of Puerto Rican community, the parts of us that are shaped by where we come from but still belong entirely and only to ourselves.
Just when we think we know where Olga and her story will go, we see Hurricane Maria devastate Puerto Rico and a new layer of Olga is revealed. We watch as her character, her family, her community and even the reach of this novel shapeshift into a more dynamic offering. This book is equal parts imaginative and realistic, hopeful and critical, thought-provoking and escapism; in it’s entirely, this novel is a beautiful offering to any reader.
We often hear the phrase “Life is for living” and the title of the novel begs the inverse question, “Do we all die dreaming?”. Use this book to escape your own world for a bit: get lost in Olga’s fiery wit, the vibrancy of Puerto Rican culture, the race and hum of modern America. Contend with the social issues we all need to be considering, from white supremacy to closeted queerness to heritage, race, class, gentrification and politics. But when you land back in your own reality, remember Olga and her dreams. What will we die dreaming? Where are we pulled to imagine? What captivates us in our most deeply held parts? What do we need to let go? Are we bringing our dreams into creation in the act of living our lives? Or will we die dreaming … ? What precisely will we die dreaming of?
