A dazzling debut about a status-driven wedding planner for New York's elite grappling with her absent mother and her Puerto Rican roots in the wake of Hurricane Maria

'The sharpest and best written social comedy in a while'
Los Angeles Times

'A rich, full-bodied saga'
Financial Times

It's 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro "Prieto" Acevedo, are bold-faced names in New York City society: Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying Brooklyn neighbourhood; Olga is the wedding planner to Manhattan's richest and most demanding clientele.

But the glamorous hoopla conceals a darker reality. Years ago Olga and Prieto's mother abandoned her children to join a radical political organization fighting for the liberation of Puerto Rico. Now, in the wake of the most devastating hurricane in that island's history, Blanca has come barrelling back into her children's lives.

Olga Dies Dreaming examines the very notion of the American dream, and how - or if - it can weather a storm like this one.

'Deeply satisfying and nuanced . . . a tender exploration of love in its many forms' Observer

'Gonzalez couples engrossing political intrigue with engagingly flawed characters you can't help but root for' Mail on Sunday

It's 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro 'Prieto' Acevedo, are bold-faced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying, Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan's power brokers.

Despite their alluring public lives, behind closed doors things are far less rosy. Sure, Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the one percent, but she can't seem to find her own . . . until she meets Matteo, who forces her to confront the effects of long-held family secrets.

Twenty-seven years ago, their mother, Blanca, a Young Lord-turned-radical, abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. Now, with the winds of hurricane season, Blanca has come barreling back into their lives.

Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico's history, Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American dream - all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.