Oscar Wao is by far the most refreshing, captivating and enthralling novel that I've read in years. It is part fantasty, part history, biography, sci fi and so much more. It is the ultimate immigrant novel. It is, by all accounts, an excellent read.

The story of Oscar and his family takes place in the U.S, with flashbacks to Santo Domingo and other parts of the Trujillo ruled universe. The story is not just Oscar's alone, but of his mother, sister and assorted family members and lovers. What sets this book apart is its ability to concoct a tale so unbelievably believable, it makes you want to go look stuff up in Wikipedia.

I love the long rambling footnotes, each one giving the story more depth, insight and genuine hilarity. Junot Diaz can write. His description of Trujillo as Sauron almost caused me to have an accident on the train. He is funny, appealing to the younger generations but at the same time, understanding the need to pay respect to those who have come before us. This story is a cultural miasma of old and new, of good and the horrific.

It is ultimately wondrous, this brief life of Oscar Wao.