Although the title suggests this book is all about Oscar, he is just one out of an array of characters. Oscar’s family believe they have lived under a curse having suffered at the hands of the ruthless dictator of the Dominican Republic. The story follows three generations from the 1930’s, each coping with their struggles in their own way. A fascinating history of the Dominican Republic as well as a family drama.
The long-awaited first novel from one of today’s most original and electrifying literary voices.
Things have never been easy for Oscar. A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican family in New Jersey, he’s sweet but disastrously overweight. He dreams of becoming the next J. R. R. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. Poor Oscar may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fukú - the ancient curse that has haunted his family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, violent accidents and, above all, ill-starred love.
With dazzling energy and insight Díaz immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Oscar, his runaway sister Lola, their beautiful mother Belicia, and in the family’s uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back.
Rendered with uncommon warmth and humour, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao presents an astonishing vision of the endless human capacity to persevere - and to risk it all - in the name of love. A literary triumph, this novel confirms Junot Díaz as one of the funniest, warmest and most exciting writers of our time.
Junot Diaz was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Cornell University. His collection of short stories, Drown, was described as 'a dazzlingly talented first book' by Hermione Lee in the Independent on Sunday. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is his debut novel. He teaches creative writing at MIT (Massachussetts Institute of Technology)
