Melissa Mogollon took a very clever approach to the format of her first novel, Oye. Straight prose wouldn’t do for the story of Luciana and her very quirky, very irreverent family. She welcomes us into their story just as Hurricane Irma is descending upon Florida, compelling her and her mom to take to the road in order to escape the storm’s wrath. Mogollon tells the story and all that it evolves into through Luciana’s telephone conversations with her sister, Mari, currently away at school during a very intense sorority rush week.
Luciana’s family is brash, filterless, and funny. As you get to know them more and more, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself at turns smiling, cringing, sighing, and perhaps crying. These characters will fast find their way into your heart, and into your head. And with its quick-clipped pace, you’ll hardly have time to catch your breath when going from one to the other. This is not a book you’ll take your time with. Speaking of taking one’s time, we sure hope Melissa is already onto writing her next book; we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Oye
by Melissa Mogollon
Read an excerpt.
Melissa Mogollon’s Oye is her first published novel — a fact we find fairly stunning given the creativity of her approach and how well she executed it. She peels back the story of Luciana and her very quirky family of females layer by layer, revealing exactly what she wants to reveal at exactly the moment she wants to reveal it. As you contemplate the novel at its completion, and as you walk into book club clutching it to your chest, arm yourself with these discussion questions to keep your conversation on track.
Get the questions.
Arepas are one of the best food items to come out of Colombian kitchens, in our humble opinion. Luciana typically things so as well — until her mother decides to try putting a healthy spin on things. Luciana isn’t into it, and neither are we. Instead, we recommend you give the classic a try with these Arepas de Queso. Once you get the hang of it, we promise you’ll be whipping them up on the regular.
We’re heading a bit south from Colombia and Florida for our wine pairing this week, to pick up this Andeluna 1300 Malbec from Argentina. It’s bold and interesting, not unlike our Oye protagonists. It will also pair beautifully with a plate of the arepas.
Get the recipe.
There’s plenty mention of music — for better or for worse — throughout this fabulously fast-paced novel. Author Melissa Mogollon created a pairlist that will keep right up. Click through to listen as you read, and don’t forget to press play to set the soundtrack for your book club meeting.
Listen on Spotify.
There are myriad ways to communicate these days. Take your pick from all the apps, texting, an old-fashioned phone call. We asked author Melissa Mogollon to talk about all the ways the modern phone (so much more than just a phone!) is essential both in her novel — where it’s all about communication — and in life in general.
Read the essay.
“This recipe came from a family friend of a family friend and it has truly worked its way through our entire neighborhood at this point. Use it on salad, on pasta, on meats, on veggies, ANYTHING! It’s the perfect tangy, energizing, cilantro-based recipe that makes any basic food item feel like a party. And it’s here, right on time, to pair with the sun peeking out for spring and summer! The ingredients are: cilantro, olive oil, dijon or honey mustard (or both), lemon juice, honey, apple cider vinegar (or just white vinegar), shallots (or sweet onion substitute), and salt and pepper. Measure with your heart or your personal taste preference and blend it all together for some glorious green magic. If it’s too thick for you, add some water (or olive oil) and reblend! Fun fact: I wouldn’t have this recipe if it wasn’t for cell phones since our family is long distance.” –Melissa Mogollon
“I have been obsessing over this pineapple-rosemary infused aperitivo take on the traditional spritz. It’s lighter than the classic Aperol Spritz and remarkably refreshing. Mother Pizza in Newport, RI, is serving this with the freshest locally-sourced rosemary I’ve ever seen and their delicious housemade aperitivo. If you’re able, everyone deserves some celebratory end-of-the-week bubbles that are going to settle well with the stomach. Ingredients are just any pineapple or rosemary infused aperitivo, plus your choice of bubbles. Soda water is optional.” –Melissa Mogollon