The October Book Club selection is Xochitl Gonzales’s debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming.

From BookOfTheMonth.com: It is 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo are well known in their hometown of New York.  Prieto is a popular Congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, and Olga is the 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.

Olga and Pietro’s mother, Blanca, a gang member turned radical, abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. As hurricane season begins, Blanca comes 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 examines political corruption, familial strife, and the very notion of the American Dream – all while asking what it means to weather a storm.

We will be meeting at the Bachelder Library, or via Zoom, at 7 PM on Wednesday, October 26. Please swing by either library to pick up a copy.  Please let Lee or Priscilla know if you would like to attend via Zoom.