Aha, She's Doing it Again

Read Junot Diaz' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (henceforth referred to simply as Oscar Wao) in France earlier, but never got around to posting about it. So, in the spirit of better late than never, here goes:

The plot is, as with most of the books I read, not all that important. It is about the overweight Sci-Fi nerd Oscar Wao, and his 'brief wondrous life'. Peppered with Spanish, written almost entirely in american slang and full to bursting of Sci-fi and Fantasy references, I imagine you will feel lost if you can't piece these things together. Teh great internet will help, I'm sure. The Spanish I pieced together with help from my grandmother, and the references I got.

There are so many of them. To Lord of the Rings, tabletop roleplaying (D&D) and general fantasy trivia. At times it was a bit like a piece of Urban dictionary, sans the explanations. Which is not a good thing. A classic, some reviewer called it, I can't help but disagree. References expire. Oscar Wao rings through for children of the early internet and with an intimate knowledge of fantasy, but these things cannot possibly prevail. Other than that it is an unremarkable book: lots of slang, bad plot, pathetic main character and overall average writing. Possibly a very good look at the Dominican-American culture, but I really wouldn't know (yes, I am the average, despicable white person).

Much of it is laced with irony, commenting on the lives of these nerds. The title, the character Oscar. A loving look laced with intimate contempt; the writer has lived this, I suspect, in some form. Bottom line, I don't get it. A professor I had last year raved about it, recommending it without reserve. What insight does she have that I lack? Written for and about a particular generation, it will not outlast them.

Aha, She's Doing it Again

Read Junot Diaz' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (henceforth referred to simply as Oscar Wao) in France earlier, but never got around to posting about it. So, in the spirit of better late than never, here goes:

The plot is, as with most of the books I read, not all that important. It is about the overweight Sci-Fi nerd Oscar Wao, and his 'brief wondrous life'. Peppered with Spanish, written almost entirely in american slang and full to bursting of Sci-fi and Fantasy references, I imagine you will feel lost if you can't piece these things together. Teh great internet will help, I'm sure. The Spanish I pieced together with help from my grandmother, and the references I got.

There are so many of them. To Lord of the Rings, tabletop roleplaying (D&D) and general fantasy trivia. At times it was a bit like a piece of Urban dictionary, sans the explanations. Which is not a good thing. A classic, some reviewer called it, I can't help but disagree. References expire. Oscar Wao rings through for children of the early internet and with an intimate knowledge of fantasy, but these things cannot possibly prevail. Other than that it is an unremarkable book: lots of slang, bad plot, pathetic main character and overall average writing. Possibly a very good look at the Dominican-American culture, but I really wouldn't know (yes, I am the average, despicable white person).

Much of it is laced with irony, commenting on the lives of these nerds. The title, the character Oscar. A loving look laced with intimate contempt; the writer has lived this, I suspect, in some form. Bottom line, I don't get it. A professor I had last year raved about it, recommending it without reserve. What insight does she have that I lack? Written for and about a particular generation, it will not outlast them.