Author: Junot Diaz
Genre: fiction; contemporary; magical realism
Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fukœ-the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim. Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. A true literary triumph, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao confirms Junot Diaz as one of the best and most exciting voices of our time.
Review: When I picked this book up originally, I thought I was going to love it -- outcast nerd who likes weird things and wants to be a famous writer someday -- but I couldn't really get all the way into it. I liked that it was told through another perspective, and I love the cultural dissonance between the two characters, but for some reason, when I finished the book, I wasn't inspired. Yunior's storyline is bittersweet -- he can't figure out what he wants and with this engrained idea of who he has to be and how he has to act, he doesn't really grow up until the end. Oscar is the complete opposite of that. He realizes that he can only be who he is, even if it "sucks" because it's "all he has." I wouldn't consider Oscar to be "wondrous" but I do like his "I'd die for love" attitudes.
Overall, I enjoyed it. Just not as much as everyone said I would.