mirandyli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Police brutality, Cancer, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Racial slurs, Stalking, Violence, War, Suicide attempt, and Xenophobia
niamhbereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the narrator of this book really made it for me. surprisingly, it is not oscar. instead, it's a character who we do not meet until about halfway through the book, and even then, he holds little stake in the plot. yunior (the narrator) has such a unique voice as he tells the story of oscar's family, & that made the tales of the trujillo-era dominican republic all the more interesting to me, a white american reader. oscar- the protagonist of this book- is actually never a narrator, even though the book is named after him. i think that adds such an interesting perspective to the story: everyone is talking about oscar, so the book takes you on a ride to finding out who he is through other people's lives. (note: one of the chapters is in the pov of oscar's sister, and there's no real distinction between who is narrating. you just gotta pay attention to how the story is being told to get it.)
this book travels through three generations of the de leon family: oscar and his sister lola, his mother beli, & beli's parents. though oscar & lola's stories are based in new jersey, beli & her parents are all living in the dominican republic under dictator trujillo. junot diaz does a wonderful job immersing the reader into each generation. in particular, some chapters have footnotes that give historical context, which i found really helpful. the dominican history bleeds through the pages.
ok spoiler time:
Spoiler
the de leon family is cursed w/ a fuku bc abelard, oscar's grandfather, defied trujillo. through the three generations, the de leon family is faced with extreme trauma. lots of death.this book has MAGICAL REALISM YAYYYY!!! the de leon family is cursed w/ a fuku that travels throughout the story. it's not too prominent, but when it's brought up, diaz knows how to bring it up. he has struck a good balance between a grounded-in-reality story & supernatural elements. also oscar is a sci-fi nerd so i like how both the character & his universe has an affinity for the unrealistic.
spoiler time again:
Spoiler
oscar dies in the very end :(great read!!! this was the second time i've read it but the first was when i was like fourteen, & this book only gets better w/ age. i would recommend this book to dominicans & latines who want to learn more about their history, nerdy outcast kids who grew into nerdy outcast adults, & those w/ an affinity towards tragedies. wonderful book <3
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Forced institutionalization
Spoiler
in one point, it is implied that oscar almost killed himself on purpose. later on, he tries to kill himself by walking onto train tracks.eveymarie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Death, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Murder, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
amariehoyos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Colonisation, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
lennatheunicorncat's review against another edition
1.0
I guess I should write a comprehensive review as to why I did not like this book, and boy is there a lot! First of all, we're introduced to Oscar, who is so obsessed with love and wanting to get laid as he grows up. We follow him through his childhood, teens, and young adulthood in brief snippets. And every single time the reader is with him, Oscar is whining about how none of the girls want to date him because of xyz and how he will die a virgin. He does not stop complaining at all, even to the point of obsessing about other girls or women to stalker levels. The remarks in regards to domestic violence and the abuse some of these young girls go through sickened me. Oscar's remarks towards 11 year old Maritza and her dating men 2x to 3x her age and getting beaten and abused by them was "I guess she just likes men who do that since those are all the guys she seems to date." I started out annotating my book but stopped around 30 pages in when all my annotations became "WTF?!" Oscar's obsession continues on, but the moments of relief from his obnoxious views on the world were then replaced with different family members and their unrelenting trauma. From his sister's trauma, to his mom's, to his grandfather's, never ending trauma was brought up that made me sick to my stomach, especially a particularly gruesome scene that seriously needed a trigger warning for the beating and gang rape of a pregnant teen who was left for dead in the fields (she survives thankfully, but at a price). This book just made me depressed, apathetic, and sick to my stomach. I get that the author wanted to show the horrors that the people of the Dominican Republic faced with Trujillo as the dictator, but as someone who has already dealt with enough trauma of my own with domestic violence, sexual assault, and all forms of abuse, this was triggering and kept pushing me into a darker mindset. I finally had to skim read when I reached the 50% mark and the book was STILL GOING ON but back in Oscar and Yunior's heads. Their toxic masculinity is what did me in. I finished it, but at the price of my sanity this week. I will be tossing this book out of my collection and I don't think I'll pick up another one of this author's works since some of the other books he's written deal with a few of these same characters I hate.
Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Violence, Terminal illness, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Torture
lucinotlucy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Medical content, Cancer, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Rape, Stalking, Terminal illness, Excrement, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Torture, and Abortion
dawntin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
lacifaeria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I see Oscar so much in the people I've known and in myself, the Nerd of Color. The deeper connection with the women in his family was so beautiful (Lola and Beli for sure! and a whole monument to La Inca), these beautiful complicated women creating the structures that he would develop within, complete with their own difficulty grappling with freedom and independence, womanhood and the role love plays within it, generations of de Leon's fantasizing about being saved. This was just - amazing.
Oscar, that lovable nerd, and the own nerdiness of the narrator, Lola's novio, was cringeworthy in accuracy and I laughed and cringed with each self-sabotaging, self-deprecating line. Being a teenage/early adult nerd in constant love was something I felt so deeply. That juxtaposed against his cultural pedigree, the reputation that smothered him about Dominican men and their lothario prowess, was a new level of angst and anxiety I have rarely articulated but wholeheartedly appreciated seeing in print.
And the cadence of the narrator? UGH -- amazing. I've heard this language, this perfect weaving of the profane and the obscene with salient witticism, was comfortably colloquial and so accessible. It felt like the stories you heard in hushed whispers once the relatives got enough liquor in them at the cookout. Like....nostalgia. Like home.
I don't want to go into detail because I think the story is so perfect that I'd rather someone read it first. It made me literally laugh out loud more times than I can count, and actually made me cry on no less than three occasions. Truly the best book I've read this year and there were some heaters on the list already but this was truly a fucking awesome read and I am now a Junot Diaz forever fan.
Stop reading this review and go read it. Just -- go read it right now!!!
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, and Misogyny
ekmook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racism, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Child abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Torture, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Sexism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Addiction, Infidelity, Abortion, and Terminal illness
chandle5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Fatphobia and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Violence