This latest Pulitzer Prize winner, written by Dominican-American Junot Diaz, has a lot going for it. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao spans generations and ties them together with a powerful theme. Diaz uses a unique and comedic voice to make a story that is both tragic and history-heavy (focusing on Trujillo's reign over the Dominican Republic, and laden with insightful footnotes) - quite enjoyable to read.
And while it breaks a lot of rules, it breaks most of them brilliantly, so we can let that slide.
But one big rule has been broken too many times now to work the way Diaz needs it to. Like many novels and films of the past, most notably Sunset Boulevard or American Beauty, the author sets up from the start that our hero, Oscar, is going to die. The book follows his journey to that point.
The problem here is that Oscar Wao is no Lester Burnham, and we certainly have nobody resembling a Norma Desmond. Oscar is a loner who is happy to stay that way, continually makes the wrong decisions in love, and refuses to learn from his mistakes. Of course we, as readers, are going to feel for this hero - but do we know much about him? Does he act and feel like a real person, or is he a flat character who exists merely on the page?
Because much of the story centers around Oscar's death, and the events leading up to it, I expected a much rounder character - technically speaking. That is the book's greatest flaw - but as I said, it got much more right than it did wrong. And I always love a good history lesson.
And while it breaks a lot of rules, it breaks most of them brilliantly, so we can let that slide.
But one big rule has been broken too many times now to work the way Diaz needs it to. Like many novels and films of the past, most notably Sunset Boulevard or American Beauty, the author sets up from the start that our hero, Oscar, is going to die. The book follows his journey to that point.
The problem here is that Oscar Wao is no Lester Burnham, and we certainly have nobody resembling a Norma Desmond. Oscar is a loner who is happy to stay that way, continually makes the wrong decisions in love, and refuses to learn from his mistakes. Of course we, as readers, are going to feel for this hero - but do we know much about him? Does he act and feel like a real person, or is he a flat character who exists merely on the page?
Because much of the story centers around Oscar's death, and the events leading up to it, I expected a much rounder character - technically speaking. That is the book's greatest flaw - but as I said, it got much more right than it did wrong. And I always love a good history lesson.