Xochitl Gonzalez, while researching for her third novel, noticed a lack of scenes featuring characters of color celebrating together. The 48-year-old author recalls that her family always found a reason to celebrate and be joyful even in tough times. She says, "My grandfather recycled bottles to pay for my wedding celebration."
New Novel and Colorful Celebrations
In her new novel titled Last Night in Brooklyn, a reimagining of The Great Gatsby set in 2007, she presents a vision of Brooklyn before the new wave of gentrification. The novel follows Alicia, a young woman trying to set aside the weight of her mother's traditional values. Alicia wants to steer her city towards new experiences and people, especially her neighbor La Garza, a local fashion designer and legendary party host. La Garza's magnificent gatherings draw Alicia into a world filled with creative Latinx and Black youth striving to make a name for themselves in a changing world.
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Personal Experiences and Cultural Perspective
Gonzalez, raised by a Puerto Rican mother and a Mexican-American father and brought up in Brooklyn by her grandmothers, enriches her books with explorations of identity and culture. Her love for New York City is evident in her stories, where characters are in search of their identity and place. She also considers how her novels can easily fit into the busy lives of readers. Gonzalez knows that a light book with a good narrative can have a significant impact on how people engage with her work. She says, "I am creating art that is meant to be consumed, so I try to consider the lives people have."
In the past, Gonzalez worked as a wedding planner for about 13 years. Organizing events for various clients in New York has given her insights into human behavior and empowerment. In her early forties, she decided to pursue writing, transforming her experiences into stories filled with characters finding their way in the world and realizing their dreams while grappling with intersections of privilege, race, and class. Her next book, titled Need Blind: A Memoir of Class and Climbing in America, which is her first nonfiction book, will be published in 2027 and will further explore this journey. Gonzalez, recognized as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her columns in The Atlantic, says, "I was able to spend all that time observing people and how things work. Now I can use that."
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