Wow for Oscar Wao

This past January 4th, I finished reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Díaz. I would like to say that this is the book equivalent of the movie Inception. Let me explain: instead of a dream, within a dream, within a dream, a story, inside a story, inside a story. The book is so rich in cultural elements of the Dominican Republic and the descriptions are so in detail, that you can imagine yourself as one of the characters living in the picturesque environments of this Caribbean island.

Something else that hold onto my attention from the start, was the vocabulary and the references used by the narrator Yunior. In his narration, he mixes characters, places, and stories from the geek culture (comic books, video games, anime, fantasy books) and brings them into a story about patriotism, revolution, dictatorship… making a cultural story pop-out like if it was taken out of a Marvel or DC comic book.

The story, which also may seem like a love story of sorts, brings also Dominican Republic cultural contexts, some that may be identified by their Caribbean neighbors. The author, by means of this fictionalized novel, brings into attention real-life situations from the republic and their effects on its citizens. The book not only serves to entertain its reader, but it also serves to teach Dominican history and its influence in the Americas.

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(Image taken from:  http://thomasstorey.com/images/book_covers/the_brief_wondrous_life_of_oscar_wao.jpg)