The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Diaz

A very unusual book—written with much intense energy. Gripping fiction filled with footnotes of the history of The Dominican Republic under the brutal dictator Trujillo.

The author weaves a fascinating history with stories of love, sensuality, spirituality, political thugs, and suppression of human rights. Filled with satirical humor… the author is not always the calm watcher of the narrative. His strong personal feelings shine through his emotional observation. This results in intensifying the dramatic scenes that take place. Weaving back and forth between the Dominican Republic and New Jersey, the so called generational curse that has plagued the characters and their Island is observed by the reader. The author himself pens this book as his own personal antidote to that curse… somewhat akin to a yagya for debilitated planets.

The main character, an orphan whose family was destroyed by the brutality of the Trujillo regime, is a strong, sensual creature. Her toughness under the extreme circumstance of her life is amazing… living in a country that is a virtual prison, her search for freedom takes on a strong potent immediacy and is the main theme of this novel. Her son (Oscar Wao) is a total nerd… immersed in science fiction writing as his own personal escape from the prison of his life. Overweight and always falling in love with women who hardly look at him, his attempts at love and deep compulsiveness towards women are both funny and sad to observe.

After finishing the book I immediately reread it! This is not something I usually do with any book. However, the author’s talent deserves this, as there are many facets to the story that are not seen on the first trip.

A Pulitzer prize winner, and deservedly so, this is a book of historical fiction that will grab you with its intense unique narrative.

Review by Tony Kainauskas