Latine Debut Novels: 'Mayra' by Nicky Gonzalez

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Latine Debut Novels: 'Mayra' by Nicky Gonzalez
Date: October 9, 2025
Guest: Nicky Gonzalez (author of Myra)

---

Overview

This episode of All Of It spotlights Nicky Gonzalez, author of the debut novel Myra, a book long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. In conversation with host Alison Stewart, Gonzalez discusses the novel’s gothic, slow-burn horror themes, its setting in the Florida Everglades, and the deep, consuming friendship at the novel’s heart. The episode explores memory, the haunting quality of adolescent friendships, and the unique atmosphere of Florida as both place and character.

---

Key Discussion Points

Introducing the Novel and Its Characters

• Myra centers on Ingrid and Myra, best friends whose connection begins in adolescence but is later strained by time, distance, and personal transformation.
• The novel is described as both “a slow burn debut horror novel set at a mysterious house deep in the Florida Everglades” (00:09).
• Plot Summary: Years after drifting apart, Ingrid receives an unexpected invitation from Myra to spend a weekend at a remote house in the Everglades—an experience that forces Ingrid to confront the intensity of their bond and make difficult choices about the friendship.

Who Is Ingrid? (01:26–02:07)

• Ingrid is in her late 20s, an assistant at a real estate company, living what she feels is an unremarkable, routine life.
• Quote: “It’s a job that gets her money so that she could pay rent and buy beer, and that’s all that matters to her.” — Nicky Gonzalez (01:54)

Why Does Ingrid Accept Myra's Mysterious Invitation? (02:07–03:13)

• Myra’s presence is magnetic and formative for Ingrid, “a sort of hypnotic power.”
• Ingrid is drawn by nostalgia and the thrill of breaking out of her comfort zone, as she did during their youth.
• Quote: “Maybe she’s thinking, this is another one of those times that Myra’s gonna make me do something uncomfortable, and maybe I’ll like it, but hopefully I’ll survive.” — Nicky Gonzalez (03:08)

Self-Perception vs. How Others See Us (03:13–04:14)

• Ingrid compares herself negatively to Myra, seeing herself as less interesting and accomplished.
• Gonzalez offers her authorial perspective: Ingrid is indeed interesting and likable, highlighting the disconnect between self-image and external perception.
• Quote: “There’s sort of a disconnect between the way that the world sees her and the way that she sees herself.” — Nicky Gonzalez (03:48)

The Intensity of Teenage Female Friendships (04:14–06:24)

• Gonzalez wanted to capture the “supernatural” closeness and impact of adolescent friendships, recalling personal experiences where friend groups develop their own secret languages and shared identities.
• Quote: “There was something that already felt like it was breaking through reality about those relationships that made it easy to actually break into the supernatural in the realm of the story.” — Nicky Gonzalez (06:22)
• Memorable moment: Gonzalez describes listening to a group recording and not recognizing which friend’s voice is which, highlighting the merging of identity in close groups (05:45).

Florida as Setting and Character (06:25–08:14)

• The Everglades are depicted as a place that resists human domestication, always threatening to reclaim its wildness.
• For Gonzalez, growing up in Florida meant viewing the outdoors as forbidden and otherworldly, which shapes the novel’s mood and tension.
• Quote: “No matter how much you try to pave the swamp or drain it, the nature is always going to encroach.” — Nicky Gonzalez (07:27)

Reading from Myra: Driving Alligator Alley (08:21–10:20)

• Gonzalez reads a vivid passage in which Ingrid drives through the Everglades, capturing the landscape’s haunting, imaginative pull.
• Quote (from the book): “Gators lounged on the roadside, indifferent to cars and the humans that they carried. This wet chunk of Florida hummed with life.” — Myra (08:40)

Exploring Time and Memory (10:20–11:43)

• The novel examines how memories are shaped and reshaped over time, and the subjectivity of recollection.
• Gonzalez reflects on how reliving a memory can distort it further, revealing more about the person remembering than what actually occurred.
• Quote: “Ironically, the more you think back on a memory, the more you play it over again, the more you linger on it, the more you are distorting it.” — Nicky Gonzalez (11:10)

Building Tension and Atmosphere (11:43–12:54)

• The drafting process involved “rooting through a bunch of scenes,” color-coding clues and flashbacks to manage the novel’s suspenseful pacing and information reveals.
• Quote: “The first draft is...very swampy, let’s say.” — Nicky Gonzalez (11:56)

Genre: Friendship Gothic and Florida Gothic (12:54–13:46)

• Gonzalez coins “friendship Gothic” to describe the novel, aligning it with stories centered on intense friendship but with an eerie, haunting quality.
• She alludes to inspiration from other friendship novels (Sula, Marlena, Ferrante’s works), as well as classic Gothic literature.
• Quote: “I’ve been using the phrase friendship Gothic because it is at its core a friendship novel…I've also called it Florida Gothic, which I think is accurate.” — Nicky Gonzalez (13:01, 13:44)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker/Source | Quote/Moment | |-----------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:54 | Nicky Gonzalez | “It’s a job that gets her money so that she could pay rent and buy beer, and that’s all that matters to her.” | | 03:08 | Nicky Gonzalez | “Maybe she’s thinking, this is another one of those times that Myra’s gonna make me do something uncomfortable, and maybe I’ll like it, but hopefully I’ll survive.” | | 03:48 | Nicky Gonzalez | “There’s sort of a disconnect between the way that the world sees her and the way that she sees herself.” | | 06:22 | Nicky Gonzalez | “There was something that already felt like it was breaking through reality about those relationships that made it easy to actually break into the supernatural in the realm of the story.” | | 07:27 | Nicky Gonzalez | “No matter how much you try to pave the swamp or drain it, the nature is always going to encroach.” | | 08:40 | Myra (Gonzalez reads) | “Gators lounged on the roadside, indifferent to cars and the humans that they carried. This wet chunk of Florida hummed with life.” | | 11:10 | Nicky Gonzalez | “Ironically, the more you think back on a memory, the more you play it over again, the more you linger on it, the more you are distorting it.” | | 11:56 | Nicky Gonzalez | “The first draft is...very swampy, let’s say.” | | 13:01, 13:44 | Nicky Gonzalez | “I’ve been using the phrase friendship Gothic because it is at its core a friendship novel…I've also called it Florida Gothic, which I think is accurate.” |

---

Important Segments by Timestamp

• 00:09 — Brief overview of Myra and introduction of Nicky Gonzalez.
• 01:26–02:07 — Discussion of Ingrid’s life situation and character.
• 02:07–03:13 — Why Ingrid is drawn to Myra and accepts her invitation.
• 03:13–04:14 — Ingrid’s self-perception versus external views and comparison to Myra.
• 04:14–06:24 — The power and intensity of adolescent female friendships.
• 06:25–08:14 — Florida’s rugged, persistent landscape as setting and metaphor.
• 08:21–10:20 — Gonzalez reads a passage from Myra evoking Alligator Alley.
• 10:20–11:43 — The malleability and distortion of memory.
• 11:43–12:54 — Writing and pacing tension, balancing clues and suspense.
• 12:54–13:46 — Describing the novel as "friendship Gothic" and inspirations.

---

Episode Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, reflective, and infused with affection for both Florida’s unique atmosphere and the messy, beautiful complexity of female friendship. Gonzalez is open about her creative process and her own connections to the characters and setting, often sharing personal anecdotes and insights with a candid, approachable humor.

---

Conclusion

Nicky Gonzalez’s Myra is not simply a horror story or a coming-of-age tale—it’s a meditative, atmospheric exploration of friendship’s darker, more obsessive shadows set against the lush strangeness of Florida. The episode is a must-listen for readers and writers interested in character-driven Gothic fiction, the haunting legacy of adolescence, and evocative sense of place. As Gonzalez puts it, “friendship Gothic” might be the genre we didn’t know we needed.

---

Transcript

[A]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. This month we're talking to debut authors for Hispanic Heritage Month. And today we have a book that is long listed for the center for Fiction's first novel prize. The book is called Myra, and it's by my next guest, Nikki Gonzalez. In the book, Myra and Ingrid meet during their adolescence, a tumultuous time. Their friendship is all consuming. Myra is rebellious and somewhat adrift. Ingrid is shy and yearns to have half the style that Myra has. But after high school, they drift apart, literally. Myra leaves Florida to go to school, and figuratively, as they develop other interests and values. Years later, out of the blue, Myra invites Ingrid to a weekend girls trip in the remote area of the Everglades. Ingrid goes, eager to be reconnected with her friend and also curious about the unorthodox. But the weekend is not the relaxing girls trip she's been expecting, and Ingrid has to decide just how far she's willing to go to keep this friendship. A reviewer described the book as a slow burn debut horror novel set at a mysterious house deep in the Florida Everglades. My guest Nikki Gonzalez joins us now. Hi, Nikki.

[B]

Hi, Alison.

[A]

So Ingrid is our protagonist. Where is Ingrid in her life when we meet her?

[B]

Ingrid is roughly in her late 20s. She's somewhat adrift, but also happy with.

[C]

Her place in the world.

[B]

She's an assistant at a real estate company, and she's sort of happy to be in this job that has somewhat firm guidelines for what she has to do so she doesn't have to be too creative and has sort of a set plan for how to. How to proceed in that. In that job. It's pretty much it's a job that gets her money so that she could pay rent and buy beer, and that's.

[C]

All that matters to her.

[A]

So Myra calls Ingrid out of the blue. It's sort of a vague invitation. You can go to a house, there's no cell service in the middle of nowhere. Why does Ingrid say yes to this?

[B]

I think if anyone else had asked Ingrid to go into the swamp, she would have easily said no. But Myra has this sort of hypnotic power over her. She is. She takes up this enormous part in Ingrid's memory. She's somewhat mysterious, even though they were best friends and had this like, telepathic bond that young girls can have. And so she hasn't heard from Myra.

[C]

In a long time.

[B]

But she loved Myra a lot and they were incredibly close. And she is also just curious and maybe also remembers all of the times when they were younger that Myra got her to go out, get out of her shell, do things she normally wouldn't do, and how glad she is that she did those things. So maybe she's thinking, this is another one of those times that Myra's gonna make me do something uncomfortable, and maybe I'll like it, but hopefully I'll survive.

[D]

How does Ingrid feel about herself?

[B]

Ingrid, I think, doesn't think about herself as. As that interesting of a person, which I, you know, as if I could in intrude with my authorial thoughts, is. I think that Ingrid is quite an interesting person. And she is, like, funny and likable and attractive, but she doesn't see herself that way. There's sort of a disconnect between the way that the world sees her and the way that she sees herself. She thinks of Myra in a big way that Ingrid sees herself as sort of in comparison to other people, but particularly Myra. So she sees Myra as this very interesting person who has it all and has done it all and is worldly and is beautiful and is everything that she will never be. But I think Ingrid is slowly, maybe a little bit, throughout the course of the novel, figuring out that she's actually quite interesting as well and has some lovable qualities.

[D]

As we said in the intro, teenage years are so tough and friendships can be so intense. Why did you want to write about this kind of teenage relationship?

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Because it's so intense. And it's thinking back to. To my relationships at that age. My best friends at that age are actually still my best friends today. So I'm very lucky to be able to say that. And there's something almost supernatural about those relationships where you're growing up together, you're maybe 11, 12 years old, you're figuring out what you like, what you don't like. You're developing a secret language that nobody else can decode, nobody outside of your small friend group. It can be vicious, but it is also the. The closest that I have ever been to another human being. And I actually. I remember in my early college years, I had a friend who. Who I met in college. She had some of her high school friends visit because they were going to college nearby. And so her name was Delia, and.

[C]

She had her friends come over.

[B]

And it was so shocking to me how exactly like Delia all of them were, the way they all sounded like her, the way they had the same sense of humor. And so it was amazing to me because I was like, I. This person I love hanging out with them. And now I get to hang out.

[C]

With four of her.

[B]

What could be better? And so I think I. I sort of have the same thing where I will. When I'm hanging out with my three best friends back home, maybe someone will, you know, take. Take a little video for an Instagram story and then I'll hear someone else watching it. And I can't tell who spoke because I'm like, I don't know if I said that or if Rachel said that or did Yami say that? So we all sort of become one person and absorb each other. And so there was something that already felt like it was breaking through reality about those relationships that made it easy to actually break into the supernatural in.

[C]

The realm of the story.

[A]

I'm speaking with debut novelist Nikki Gonzalez about her book, a gothic story about memory, friendship and belonging set in the sticky swamplands of Florida. Florida is truly a character in this book. From the strip malls of Hialeah to the swamp, what made it the right place for this story?

[B]

I think the main thing that made it the right place was that it is the place that I grew up and it is so important to me. But I think that even if you're not from Florida, it does feel like a place that demands to be written about, particularly the Everglades. Because growing up, I really wasn't raised to appreciate the great outdoors or nature. If I was usually indoors in a very heavily air conditioned area, or if I was outdoors, I was, you know, in a patio next to a strip mall parking lot. That was my experience of the outdoors. But so that made it extra interesting to me. It was like this completely forbidden land that I had never entered. And there is also this interesting tension in Florida how no matter how much you try to pave the swamp or drain it, the nature is always going to encroach. So you will have this like, primordial beast, the alligator, walking through a fast food drive through. And so there's. There's this contrast of doing everything you can to make sure that you never have to see a leaf, but also not being able to avoid this very visceral, very real natural world that is surrounding you.

[A]

I'd love you to read a little bit from your book, Myra. I'll let you take it away.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

I'm going to read a segment where the narrator is driving through Alligator Alleys.

[C]

I75 became Alligator Alley. All marshland everywhere. In the span of one mile, I had entered another world. Sawgrass stretched all the way to the northern and southern horizons. Gators lounged on the roadside, indifferent to cars and the humans that they carried. This wet chunk of Florida hummed with life. Beneath every still marsh, at the base of every tuft of sawgrass, there was a world of cranes and egrets, gators and turtles. People complain about the monotony of this.

[B]

Drive, the way it entrances them and.

[C]

Makes them miss their exit. But the swamp could never put me to sleep. On the contrary, it lit me up.

[B]

Its mystery activated my imagination. A part of my mind that I.

[C]

Thought long dead, was relieved and was relieved to find was merely dormant. I was a kid in the backseat again, my dad at the wheel, on a long drive to visit my parents friends in Naples, spending hours in my fantasy of what it would be like.

[B]

To live out there.

[C]

The sea of sawgrass gave way to cypress domes, which seemed as good a home as any. I could build a lean to subsist.

[B]

On fish and algae and accidentally ingest.

[C]

Some single celled organism that would grant me perpetual youth. When I approached my 300th birthday, the distant sounds of cars speeding by would.

[B]

Ebb until they stopped entirely.

[C]

The water's green mouth would swallow the.

[B]

Road, and I'd know then that I'd outlasted humanity.

[C]

A pack of black vultures studded the bare branches of a cypress, waiting, I suppose, for something to die. Gradually, the forest north and south of me thickened with palms and bright green cypress needles. The low sun leaked gold onto the landscape, and once it set, each car on that dark stretch glided in its own island of light.

[D]

That's Nikki Gonzalez reading from her debut novel, Myra. In the story the girls, they go out for a girl's weekend. They arrive at this house, and it's kind of unusual. There's no cell service, there's no neighbors, there's no clocks. What about time and memory? Did you want to explore?

[B]

Yeah, so the. There is a lot having to do with memory in the book, without giving any spoilers, but I am interested in how different two people's accounts of the same memory can be, particularly years after something has happened. I think that as we. As time goes on, of course, memories erode. But also I think every time we replay something in our head, we change.

[C]

It a little bit.

[B]

And so, ironically, the more you think back on a memory, the more you play it over again, the more you linger on it, the more you are distorting it. And so I was interested in the way that. The way that Ingrid remembers things is not necessarily the way that Myra remembers things and the. The nature of each distortion. Like, what does that say about the person who is doing the remembering the way that you distort it probably says something about your personality in some way.

[D]

How do you balance creating tensions? And you drop clues here and there.

[A]

We don't want to give too much.

[D]

Away, but you do drop clues here and there without hitting the reader over the head.

[B]

Yeah, I think that that really comes in, in the, the drafting process. So the, the first draft is. It's very swampy, let's say. It's, it's a lot of chaos. It's a lot of like rooting through a bunch of scenes that maybe aren't even going to make it onto the page. It's a lot of rewriting scenes and.

[C]

Not realizing that you're rewriting scenes.

[B]

So then when I go back and I, I put it into a more maybe story shaped shape and then I. There was a long process of physically printing my book out and also sort of color coding in different ink, like, oh, what proportion of this is a clue and what proportion of this is a flashback? And sort of moving those pieces around and making sure that, that the distribution of them was maybe not totally traditional, but certainly the way that I wanted it to be.

[D]

The book has been described as a horror novel, a gothic story. How would you describe it?

[B]

I've been using the phrase friendship Gothic because it is.

[D]

That's good.

[B]

Thank you. It is at its core a friendship novel. I really look to certain friendship novels when I was writing it. So I love Sula, Marlena and the.

[C]

Elena Ferrante's novels, of course.

[B]

And also, you know, Sula and Marlena are also single name titles, but it is also very much gothic. Also harkens back to the single name title, you know, Dracula, Rebecca. So yes, I've been thinking of it as friendship Gothic. I've also called it Florida Gothic, which I think is accurate.

[D]

People will have to read it. It's called Myra. It is a debut novel from Nikki Gonzalez. Nikki, thank you for making time for us today.

[B]

Thank you so much for having me. This was fun. Thanks, Alison.

[E]

Since WNYC's first broadcast in 1924, we've been dedicated to creating the kind of content we know the world needs. Since then, New York Public Radio's rigorous journalism has gone on to win a Peabody Award and a Dupont Columbia Award, among others. In addition to this award winning reporting, your sponsorship also supports inspiring storytelling and extraordinary music that is free and accessible to all. To get in touch and find out more, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.