The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz Fiction, Contemporary Literature After Junot Diaz’s collection of short stories was released some years ago, the eyes of the literary world waited, with much anticipation, for the results of his first full-length attempt. By all accounts, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao did not disappoint and went on to win the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for long fiction. This story of a 300-lb, D&D loving, fantasy-adventure writing, Dominican nerdboy is funny, tragic, pitiful and sweet all at the same time. Told through the voices of those who know him best, it is a wonderfully fleshed-out account of a young man’s life viewed from the many different angles and points that give us all our form, and never is it clearer than when driving home the point that no one of us is an island, and that no matter how we fight it, we are to some extent – more than most of us would probably like - products of our heritage, our upbringing, and the actions and words of those who love us - and, just as significantly or perhaps even more so, those who don’t. This book is all straight talk – nothing flowery here. At times vulgar and crass, even a little shocking, it might make your eyes widen a few times, but at least it’s with feeling. I particularly enjoyed the viewpoint given by Lola, Oscar’s sister, as she rages with her dying mother, who is no less a controlling tyrant even when facing death. If I were to express one wish to Mr. Diaz, it would be to write a companion novel just about Lola. I don’t think I’ve ever before read a novel where the subject matter varies so widely and vividly, from Oscar’s obsession with the fantasy genre to the brutal reign of Rafael Trujillo, the former president of the Dominican Republic. You might wonder how on earth these two subjects could meet in one book, but they do, and in a way that makes you see how inseparable they really are. The past figures so prevalently in the present – and the future, one presumes – that it can’t be ignored or glossed over. Many, like me, have puzzled over the name. Oscar Wao? Is he Asian? I thought he was Dominican? Does he have an Asian father? Well, that question too is answered about halfway through, and like every other circumstance surrounding Oscar’s life, it’s both funny and a little sad, and not even close to what you probably think it is! A good and thought-provoking read, in my opinion. Oscar is a character sure to stay with you for awhile.
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