Xochitl Gonzalez, author of best-selling novels like "Olga Dies Dreaming," discusses her latest work, "Last Night in Brooklyn," which features vibrant party scenes and explores the lives of young Latino and Black creatives on the cusp of gentrification. Born to Puerto Rican and Mexican American parents and raised in Brooklyn by her grandparents, Gonzalez infuses her stories with themes of identity and cultural exploration. Her narrative style aims to connect with readers' busy lifestyles, ensuring her books are engaging and easy to consume. She also plans a 2027 memoir titled "Need Blind: A Memoir of Class and Climbing in America," delving deeper into her personal journey through privilege, race, and class dynamics.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Xochitl Gonzalez, author of "Olga Dies Dreaming" and "Anita de Monte Laughs Last", decided to become a writer in her early 40s, drawing from her experiences as a Latina and Puerto Rican-Mexican American. She noticed a lack of joyful scenes involving characters of color in literature she was reading for research. For her third novel, "Last Night in Brooklyn," published in 2023, Gonzalez created colorful party scenes set against the backdrop of pre-gentrification Brooklyn in 2007. The book follows Alicia, a young woman navigating her mother’s traditional values and seeking new experiences through interactions with her neighbor, fashion designer La Garza, who hosts legendary parties that become pivotal to Alicia's journey toward personal growth and freedom. Through these scenes, Gonzalez aims to highlight the joy and resilience often overshadowed by narratives of suffering in communities of color.
Written for “Latina Author Spotlights Creative Com…” on 2026-09-15,
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When Xochitl Gonzalez was reading literature to research her third novel, she noticed something that didn’t quite feel right: there weren’t enough scenes featuring characters of color having a ball together.
asserted
that → read → ball
Even in tough times growing up, the writer recalls, her family always found reasons to celebrate.
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family → grow → reasons
“My grandfather recycled bottles to pay for my communion party when I was 7,” says Gonzalez, 48.
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Gonzalez → recycle → party
But what I knew—and what shaped so much of my personality—was being at parties.
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shaped → know → parties
So for her third novel, the best-selling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last wrote a book rich in colorful party scenes.
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author → sell → scenes
Last Night in Brooklyn, a Great Gatsby retelling set in 2007, conjures a version of Brooklyn just before a new wave of gentrification made it unrecognizable.
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it → set → gentrification
The novel, which was published last year, follows Alicia, a young woman trying to shrug off the weight of her mother’s traditional values.
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which → publish → values
Alicia wants to let the city sway her toward new experiences and new people—particularly her neighbor La Garza, a local fashion designer and legendary party host.
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city → want → experiences
La Garza’s glamorous gatherings pull Alicia into a world full of young Latino and Black creatives working to make their mark on a rapidly changing world.
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gatherings → pull → world
Gonzalez, who was born to a Puerto Rican mother and Mexican American father, and raised in Brooklyn by her maternal grandparents, infuses her books with explorations of both identity and culture.
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who → bear → identity
Her love of New York City shines through her stories about characters discovering who they are and where they belong.
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they → shin → stories
And she likes imagining how her novels might literally fit into readers’ busy routines.
uncertain
novels → imagine → routines
She knows from her own experience as a reader hustling around the city that a book that’s easy to carry or a well-narrated audiobook can make a difference in how many people engage with her work.
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people → know → work
“I’m making art that’s meant to be consumed, so I try to keep in mind the lives that people are living,” she says.
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she → make → that
“Beautiful language means a lot to me—I also want to deliver a satisfying story that keeps people wanting to turn the page, because we’re in competition with people’s time.
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we → mean → time
When I’m editing my own work, I’m like, ‘Is this book worth lugging around the city?
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book → edit → city
In a past career, Gonzalez worked for about 13 years as a wedding planner.
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Gonzalez → work → planner
Orchestrating events for different kinds of clients across New York gave her insights into human nature and power.
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Orchestrating → orchestrate → nature
She decided to become a writer in her early 40s, funnelling her breadth of experience into stories filled with characters finding their way through the world and toward their dreams while contending with the intersections of privilege, race, and class, much like she has.
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she → decide → privilege
Her next book, Need Blind: A Memoir of Class and Climbing in America—her first nonfiction book, coming in 2027—will examine this journey even more closely.
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book → need → journey
“I was able to take all of that time observing people and how things work,” says Gonzalez, who was a Pulitzer finalist for her columns in The Atlantic.
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who → take → Atlantic
“Now, I can use it.”
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I → use → it
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