Review: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. There were moments of this book that spoke to me more than any other book I've ever read. All the stuff about a fat, ugly, nerd from New Jersey who had trouble getting girls really spoke to me, a fat, ugly nerd from New Jersey who had trouble getting girls. All that stuff was great, and I really wish the whole book was that. But it's not. Along the way, we get a heavy dose of Fuku, which is a curse that all Dominicans are said to have in this book because of the assassination of their dictator, Trujillo, or, El Jefe as he's more commonly known (That's how I knew him, anyway). Within this tale, we also learn a great deal about his sister, grandfather, and mother, and how all their lives are cursed because of the tyrannical dictator.

It's all really compelling stuff, but all throughout, I just wanted to get back to Oscar's story. In that way, the book feels a little uneven. It's not that the other chapters aren't great. It's just that they weren't what I wanted to read. But that's more a personal preference than anything else.

All in all, there's enough nerdy references to make any geek smile. So if you want a book that's even closer to the geek heart than Ready Player One, then this is your story. It's thoroughly enjoyable and even beautiful at parts. Pick it up.

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