Xochitl Gonzalez’s Novels Put the Spotlight on Latina and Black Creatives

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. Even in tough times growing up, the writer recalls, her family always found reasons to celebrate. “My grandfather recycled bottles to pay for my communion party when I was 7,” says Gonzalez, 48. “So often, our stories are more about suffering than joy. But what I knew—and what shaped so much of my personality—was being at 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. 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. The novel, which was published last year, follows Alicia, a young woman trying to shrug off the weight of her mother’s traditional 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. La Garza’s glamorous gatherings pull Alicia into a wo...