Diaz leads the reader on a fantastical journey that weaves seamlessly in and out of the Dominican sections of New Jersey and the mother land itself in the Dominican Republic.  That is, the DR is the mother land for the Wao family.  The protagonist is the younger son, Oscar, whose older sister Lola struggles also with her Latin American identity.  Oscar typifies a classic "Star Wars"-esque geek who is self-conscious to the point of insanity with his weight and lack of 'game' with the ladies.  The story winds the reader around to an endpoint wherein Oscar is faced with a series of life-or-death decisions related to his first, and only, true love (or even first kiss for that matter, well into young adulthood after college).

How Diaz connects the reader to his native land is by flashing back to each of the central family characters' personal stories of growing up.  For the first several chapters the reader gets to see the world through the prism of Oscar's mother, sister, almost brother-in-law, and of course, his own eyes.  This technique allows Diaz to hit on several chapters of Dominican history.  Clearly, Diaz possesses strong views on the Trujillo regime, and in general, on the history of Dominican
government.  With excessive footnotes, Diaz explains multiple aspects of Dominican history that he makes connect intimately with the fictional Wao family.

Having lived and taught in Santo Domingo, where the Dominican setting of the story is (at least half of the novel), I could see the pictures Diaz was painting.  Diaz brings to life all aspects of the capital city, including the famous Malecon.  He refers also to a number of smaller towns that an adventurous visitor might want to explore.  Reading this novel would accomplish numerous goals for a visitor, including exhaustive accounts of history, vivid pictures of sites to see, and an enthralling story.    ~ Seth Herschthal

• Central / South America
• Amazon
• Columbia
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• Mexico City, Mexcio