September 7, 2007

Wao out There

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” by Junot Diaz

Tales of great Latin lovers — from Casanova to Gerardo — are about a dime a million. (Okay, trillion.)

But a story about an obese, sci-fi-obsessed, virginal chico in New Jersey? That would be a first. And from Junot Díaz (Drown) comes The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a novel about just that.

Though Oscar grows up in los Estados Unidos years after the dictator Rafael Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic, the totalitarian regime — and a curse known as fukú — looms large in his life.

Using accessible prose to tell his poignant tale, Díaz goes back several generations, following not only the titular character, but also his mother (Beli) and sister (Lola). The novel shifts between past and present, the Caribbean and the United States, and even English and español — in a manner you’re sure to find muy suave.

Without a hint of rico.

Available online at amazon.com or your local bookstore.