The Writer’s Coin

How I got here: This book has been talked about in a bunch of places, especially the Amazon Book Blog (now Omnivoracious). Díaz wrote one other book, a short-story collection called Drown, which was very well received.

I haven’t really looked forward to sitting down and reading like this in a long time, so this was a good one. It’s the story of a family from Dominican Republic and the fukú (or curse) that may or may not be taunting them all.

The best way to describe this book is by comparing it to another personal favorite: Middlesex. They are similar in that they are sprawling, epic stories centered around a family, while really focusing on one particular character. While Middlesex had a lot of science in it, Wao has some DR history in it. In both neither case does it distract—it just plays a part in the narrative.

The voice here is interesting. It’s a bit character telling the story and he mixes in Spanish and English. If I didn’t know Spanish I may have been confused in certain places, but overall it’s not a big deal.

Oscar Wao is a nerd, a fanboy, a loser, a fattie, and a total dork. And yet you won’t stop reading.

The narrative is fractured and goes back and forward in time but it works really well and doesn’t distract.

The first half of the book is incredible and the second half is really good, so take that for what it’s worth.

Favorite Line:
“Am I ugly?”
She sighed. Well, hijo, you certainly don’t take after me.
Dominicanparents! You got to love them!

Final thoughts: This review was awful, but this book is one of the best I’ve read this year, right up there with Call Me by Your Name.

Coming up Next: I tried reading The Art of Fiction by John Gardner but now I know why I didn’t finish the last time I tried. So academic and boring. So I’m on to Kafka’s short story, “The Metamorphosis.”

Tags: Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz