At the National Book Festival in September, crowd favorite Junot Diaz expressed some concern that book critics reviewing his first novel were placing too much emphasis on its title character at the expense of the rest of its cast. And he's right: Oscar -- obese, nerdy, lonely, miserable and doomed -- gets his name on the cover, but he's one thread in a larger tapestry of...
more At the National Book Festival in September, crowd favorite Junot Diaz expressed some concern that book critics reviewing his first novel were placing too much emphasis on its title character at the expense of the rest of its cast. And he's right: Oscar -- obese, nerdy, lonely, miserable and doomed -- gets his name on the cover, but he's one thread in a larger tapestry of the Dominican immigrant experience, a tapestry pinned to the wall by the curse of history. Oscar's older sister, Lola, and her volatile, violent relationship with her mother could easily rate their own novel, as could the earlier family saga under the dictator Rafael Trujillo. But at heart, "Oscar Wao" is an intimate coming-of-age story -- a series of coming-of-age stories actually -- and although the details may be unique, there are certain universals to all coming-of-age stories: One of those is that life can suck almighty balls for the intelligent and terminally out-of-step. "If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough." Maybe it's that intimacy that makes the novel feel a little small next to its Pulitzer brethren. I expect big things from a Pulitzer winner. I expect grand, epic stabs at the Great American Novel. "Oscar Wao" lacks the heft (no weight pun intended) of a "Known World" or a "Middlesex." Back at the book fest, Diaz also spoke of the risk of brandnaming, of authors dropping too many pop culture references in their books. Writers can shortcut around the hard work of crafting an original description by simply referring to other artists' work: It's like Hellboy meets the Punisher!! Diaz falls prey to this habit too often. It's not that I doubt his sincerity or his geek credentials. He's a light-saber-waving, LOTR-reading, Spock-ear-wearing member of the tribe. So he doesn't need to keep repeating the password. In chapters told from the POV of the non-geeky, all the comic book/sci-fi lingo can be jarringly out-of-character. I hope I'm not coming off as overly critical of this book. I don't mean to be. It's a greatly enjoyable, even enlightening, novel, and I recommend it. It's just that from the enthusiastic raves by book critics and buddies alike, I went in hoping for a book I would love, and I had to settle for one I liked a lot. I think Junot Diaz has a Great Novel in him, but this is just his first attempt, so we ought to keep waiting for it. A Jon and His Ma Book Club selection.
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