With the same arresting sensibility that captivated readers of Drown, Díaz takes on new emotional and literary challenges as he tells in several voices a multigenerational story that moves from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic and tackles passion, tragedy, persecution, identity, and the powerful hold of family. Response to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has been tremendous. Michiko Kakutani, in her review in The New York Times, called it “…funny, street-smart, and keenly observed…An extraordinarily vibrant book that’s fueled by adrenaline-powered prose.” In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, the novel also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize.
With The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz cements his reputation as a virtuosic writer who combines elements of capital-L literature, genre fiction, comic books, and street slang to arrive at something wholly unique and vibrant. His protagonist, the unlikely hero Oscar de Leon, is the first representative of a new literary archetype — the Ghetto Nerd. Díaz’s first novel is a roller-coaster ride, veering from tragic to funny in an instant, sweeping readers along on a march through Dominican history.
