The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

"More or less a family history of the De Leon's and how a curse "fuku" seems to have followed them through the generations. Nevertheless, against all odds, Oscar, the ungainly, overweight, socially awkward Geek, is going to live his life as truly as he can."

3 Stars

Pros: I appreciated all the geek references, LOTR, The Matrix etc/Diaz does have an entertaining narrative, makes it feel like you're sitting beside him and listening to someone tell a story/The ending was what I expected but at the same time, a pleasant surprise.

Cons: During most of the novel I felt like it was more about the Dominican Republic and its horrific political troubles than it was about Oscar's life.

Full Review:

Oscar is the stereotypical geek. Overweight, socially awkward and he falls in love with almost every girl he meets. His family and friends try to help him "better" himself so he can get a girl, but in the end, he's always true to himself, even to a fault. He never pretends to be someone he's not and it's refreshing to see a character who doesn't try to change themselves in the name of love.

Though at times the novel seemed more about the political strife of the Dominican Republic, overall it was about Oscar's family history and how, it seemed, they were cursed and that curse was following them from generation to generation. We never find out if the curse (fuku) ends with Oscar or if it carries on but what we see of the future, the brief glimpses, gives us hope that perhaps, Oscar took it with him when he left.

Told from an outside perspective, we never really get to see into Oscar's heart or his thoughts but Yunior, the narrator, gives as true an account as he can. And his sardonic tone adds levity to an otherwise frighteningly tense situation when Oscar goes to visit his Aunt, La Inca in the DR and it all comes apart. You can guess what happens just from the title of the novel but the way things play out are intriguing enough to keep the reader engaged. The ending was both expected but also held a few pleasant surprises up its sleeve. This book nails home what only the great Sage, Mick Jagger can truly get across. "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need."

Comments

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

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