The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
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 Fuku - the curse that has haunted his family for generations. 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* is a literary triumph, that confirms Junot Díaz as one of the most exciting writers of our time.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Oscar de Leon is a sweet, overweight Dominican American nerd growing up in 1980s New Jersey, hopelessly in love and certain he will die a virgin. His family carries a fuku, a curse rooted in Trujillo-era Santo Domingo.
Yes. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It was Junot Diaz's debut novel after a celebrated story collection, Drown.
The novel uses Spanglish, sci-fi and fantasy references, footnotes on Dominican history, and shifts of voice. The first 50 pages take adjustment, but most readers find it propulsive once the rhythm settles in.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was written by Junot Díaz, published in 2007 by Faber and Faber Ltd.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is 347 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao takes most readers 5 to 8 hours to finish.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a standalone novel by Junot Díaz, not part of a series.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.