The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by Juno Díaz

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 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.

D’az 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.

(From Publisher).

 Junot Díaz’s fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The Best American Short Stories. His highly-anticipated first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, was greeted with rapturous reviews, including Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times calling it “a book that decisively establishes him as one of contemporary fiction's most distinctive and irresistible new voices.” His debut story collection, Drown, published eleven years prior to Oscar Wao, was also met with unprecedented acclaim; it became a national bestseller, won numerous awards, and has since grown into a landmark of contemporary literature. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey, Díaz lives in New York City and is a professor of creative writing at MIT.

This exuberant novel has everything - romance, politics, corruption, religion and a cast of characters bridging several generations and cultures. It is exhilarating funny and passionate.

A poignant and heartbreaking tale of a lonely, overweight Dominican nerd, highlights the immigrant experience as Oscar struggles to find his place between two cultures.

Mr. Diaz's book brings us the unique voice of Oscar Wao Dominican "ghetto nerd" extraordinaire. He introduces the reader to the mysteries of the fuku, or curse, that has been in Oscar's family for generations with humour and intellect.

This polyglot of a novel takes the ancient theme of the individual versus Fate and gives it new breath in the story of a nerd seeking love.