“Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd, a New Jersey romantic who dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fuku – the ancient curse that haunts Oscar’s family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still dreaming of his first kiss, is only its most recent victim-until the fateful summer that he decides to be its last.”
Diaz brings to life the brutal history of the Dominican Republic through the stories Oscar De Leon and his family. Oscar may not have much going for him, but he is passionate and sincere and his story is heartbreaking. This book was ten years in the making and well worth the wait.
For more on Junot Diaz:
http://www.bookslut.com/features/2007_09_011634.php
http://www.powells.com/authors/junotdiaz.html?&PID=12