Oscar Wao is a Dominican-American youth who could very well become the first Dominican to die a virgin. A die-hard sci-fi, role-playing game nerd, Oscar Wao unearths his family roots in the Dominican Republic and a curse that seems to plague all Dominicans and even all Latin Americans but especially his family and Oscar Wao himself. This curse, the “Fukús Americanus,” is, according to Díaz, the Doom of the New World.
Fukús, both small and large, follow Oscar Wao’s family from the Trujillo-age Dominican Republic in which his mother lived to New Jersey.
The novel weaves a number of quotes from Tolkien novels, Dungeons and Dragons, X-men and Watchmen comics, among a number of other sources that seem anomalous with a young Dominican together with a history of the Dominican Republic, particularly focused on the horrors of Trujillo, one of the most savage dictators in memory. Oscar’s mom experiences these horrors.
The coolest character of the novel is probably Oscar’s sister, Lola. She is a smart, rebellious punk/gothic/activist who cares deeply about her girl-troubled brother. Together with Oscar, they unravel the past of their mother, who is suffering from cancer.
The only downside to this novel is the first hundred pages. For some reason, the narrator seems bogged down with trying to establish a “street cred” rather than just telling a story. The slang seems real forced and becomes too crude to handle at some points. After the first 100 pages, the narrator really finds a rhythm and tells a whopper of a story while seamlessly intermingling street language and a fine prose that leaves the reader wanting to turn the page in the hope that Oscar’s life won’t be as brief as the title promises.
No comments:
Post a Comment