Xochitl Gonzalez

Here, Xochitl Gonzalez takes the true story of Ana Mendieta, the Cuban-American artist who was allegedly pushed from the 34th floor apartment by her husband, the artist Carl Andre, in 1985 and changes the names and some details and creates a vivid reimagining of the artist's life and adds a supernatural element. Next to this story, which has been the subject of some controversy, sits another story, this time set a decade later, about an art history student who is working on her thesis when she discovers Anita de Monte's work. Raquel is Nuyorican, a fish out of water on the well-heeled grounds of Brown University, falling in love with an art major and figuring out how her blue collar roots fit into her new world.

Usually, a novel using two time lines, means that one of the storylines will be far more interesting than the other. Gonzalez manages to make Raquel's story as fascinating as Anita's. We know how Anita's story ends, for the most part, but Raquel's story has the element of surprise. Gonzalez's writing is assured and she keeps both stories moving along in tandem so that they enhance each other. While the ending denied Raquel the opportunity to choose her own path forward and leaned towards the supernatural in a way that took away from both women's stories, I still found this to be an extraordinary book.… (more)

I enjoyed this book from the beginning, but loved it from 70% onward where the narrative gets to the heart of the novel. The main character,Olga, was abandoned and sought revenge through materialism. We follow her journey as she sorts out her values and where she wants the rest of her life to lead her. On the way, we meet her family, friends, love interests and clients.

From the start, this is a story of lost opportunities. It seemed each character had a loss that could be traced back to decisions made, personal, business, family. As the story develops, the author addresses so many current societal issues that I thought it might get convoluted. But she brought it all together in a way that drew attention to particular issues through a Latine lens. I don’t have that lens and I was thankful to have the author’s perspective. I was moved by the poem that inspired the novel and will go back to it again to try to learn and understand the challenges of the New York Puerto Rican diaspora. (Puerto Rican Obituary by Pedro Pietri) The author speaks to the challenges Puerto Ricans face as they try to achieve the American Dream in their own way. Lacking the benefits of the white, wealthier populations, they often turn to some of the worst side effects of capitalism. None of the characters were completely likable, but many had endearing qualities. I look forward to reading more from this author.… (more)