The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (review by Ravi B. '14)

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oscar, an overweight, geeky, Dominican teenager, is on the quest for love. Unfortunately, his family is love cursed. Dark and tragic events in the family’s history set the stage for Oscar’s fortitude in the name of love. Although Diaz’s ordering of the story can sometimes confuse the reader, I found the progression of the main storyline nurtured by each of the side stories. The language is rough, especially if you know Spanish, and if you want the full-experience of the book I would recommend reading it with a Spanish-English dictionary. Despite the various plot lines all ending the same, the personality and experience of each character varies and engages. If you enjoy comic books and/or geek culture, this book will be particularly enjoyable, but this book could be appreciated by anyone. Note: If you read this book, I highly recommend reading every lengthy and playful footnote, in which Diaz addresses and informs his readers about Dominican history and interesting anecdotes. – Ravi B. ‘14

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