Oye: A novel

Pub: May 14, 2024

A coming-of-age comedy. A telenovela-worthy drama. A moving family saga. All in a phone call you won’t want to hang up on…

A young woman reckons with her rowdy, unpredictable family and the revelation of their long-buried history in this wildly inventive debut.

“Yes, hi, Mari. It’s me. I’m over my tantrum and finally calling you back. But you have to promise that you won’t say anything to Mom or Abue about this, okay? They’ll set the house on fire if they find out…”

Luciana is the baby of her large Colombian American family. And despite usually being relegated to the sidelines, she now finds herself the voice of reason in the middle of their unexpected crisis. Her older sister, Mari, is away at college and reduced to a mere listening ear on the other end of their many phone calls, so when South Florida residents are ordered to evacuate before a hurricane, it’s up to Luciana to deal with her eccentric grandmother, Abue, who’s refusing to leave. But the storm isn’t the only danger. Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, is given a crushing medical diagnosis. While she’d prefer to ignore it and focus on upholding her reputation and her looks instead, the news sets Abue on her own personal journey, with Luciana reluctantly along for the ride.

When Abue moves into Luciana’s bedroom, their complicated bond only intensifies. Luciana would rather be skating or sneaking out to meet girls, but Abue’s wild demands and unpredictable antics are a welcome distraction from Luciana’s misguided mother, absent sister, and uncertain future. Forced to step into the role of caretaker, translator, and keeper of the devastating secrets that Abue begins to share, Luciana suddenly finds herself center stage, facing down adulthood—and rising to the occasion.

As Luciana chronicles the events of her upended senior year over the phone, Oye feels like the most entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped on: a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel by an author as original as she is insightful.

Praise:

“Told through several one-sided phone conversations between protagonist Luciana and her sister Mari, Mogollon’s inventive debut novel is a unique coming of age story about uncovering family secrets and the secrets of the self.”—Electric Lit, “42 Queer Books You Need to Read in 2024”

“A swoon-worthy family saga that will make you fall in love with the characters. It’s bursting with heart on every page and it is so warm and alive. It’s a reminder that though life can drag you down, there is hope lurking around every corner.”—Debutiful, “Most Anticipated Books of 2024”

“If listening in on a stranger’s animated phone call sounds like your idea of entertainment, you’ll be hooked . . . as Luciana and Mari engage in a sometimes laugh-out-loud, sometimes tear-jerking conversation about family, life and love.”—Reader’s Digest, “New Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2024”

“Brilliant . . . a powerful and panoramic display of a multigenerational push and pull, the complexities of caring and caretaking, and the brutal magnitude of a hurricane coming straight for someone you love . . . Heartbreaking and humorous, mature and mischievous, Oye feels like home in delicious and furious ways. Melissa Mogollon did not come to play.”—Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age

“An emotional roller coaster of multigenerational chisme, Oye jump-starts your heart in the same way the expletive piques your ear. Transport back to 2017 during Hurricane Irma, then add a cross-country trek with your mother.”—Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

“Oye is vibrantly alive, a pitch-perfect, boisterous, gossipy portrait of the chaos that is family and love. Mogollon is not writing like anyone else, and moreover she is writing about things that feel absolutely real. A gem.”—Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen

“Oye, a novel of chisme, is innovative, heartfelt, and hilarious. Melissa Mogollon’s voice is a gift.”—Myriam Gurba, author of Creep

“Oye me, this book will be the unexpected ride of your reading season. Read it to listen in on a breathless, funny, inventive, and revealing conversation that peels back all our assumptions about love and family roles. Time stops while you listen in on a protagonist making it her business to Be Heard!”—Melissa Coss Aquino, author of Carmen and Grace

“An incisive, timely, and moving family drama focusing on the multilayered dynamics of a complex Colombian American household . . . Luciana won’t just woo you; she will thoroughly win, and at times break, your heart.”—Regina Porter, author of The Travelers

“With its singular voice and vibrant characters, Oye commands your attention from the very first page. Yes, Melissa Mogollon’s debut is hilarious, but more than that, it’s an exploration of humor as resilience. It’s a novel that, like the ageless abuela at its heart, laughs and dances in the dark.”—Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

“Oye brims with life, wit, irreverence, and jokes about plastic surgery, Florida, Whole Foods, and heterosexuals. At the heart of this sparkling novel is Abue, the narrator’s grandmother, who would rather die than dye her hair the wrong color, whose tragic childhood we gradually discover. I love these characters—no one gets away with anything—and I love Melissa Mogollon’s unmistakable, irrepressible voice.”—Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field

“From the first sentence to the very last page, Oye dazzles with pitch-perfect dialogue and bold, realistic prose. This multigenerational family story juxtaposes tenderness with humor, and Melissa Mogollon creates vibrant characters who feel so alive that readers will forget that this text is a work of fiction. The title asks readers to listen, and all who heed that command will be rewarded along the way.”—Monica West, author of Revival Season

Melissa Mogollon

Oye: A novel

Pub: May 14, 2024

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