Olga Dies Dreaming
Olga Dies Dreaming is the debut novel of American writer Xochitl Gonzalez. It was published by Flatiron Books in January 2022. Writing and development. The idea for the novel occurred to Gonzalez on the Q train in New York City while reading the book "The Battle for Paradise" by Canadian author Naomi Klein and listening to the song "Rican Beach" by Hurray for the Riff Raff. After leaving the train, Gonzalez went to a Starbucks location, where she wrote the basic concept of the plot on a napkin. The book's title alludes to the Pedro Pietri  poem "Puerto Rican Obituary". While writing, Gonzalez eschewed explaining aspects of Puerto Rican culture for a broader audience, drawing inspiration from the "[...] inside baseball" jokes in Paul Beatty's novel "The Sellout". Critical reception. According to literary review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received mostly "Positive" and "Rave" reviews. In a review in "The Washington Post," Ron Charles wrote, "rarely does a novel, particularly a debut novel, contend so powerfully and so delightfully with such a vast web of personal, cultural, political and even international imperatives.""" "Kirkus Reviews" called the book "atmospheric, intelligent, and well informed: an impressive debut." Adaptation . Hulu ordered a pilot for a show based on the novel in early 2021. Gonzalez and Alfonso Gómez-Rejón are producing the pilot which will star Aubrey Plaza and Ramon Rodriguez.