The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Short Summary

At the beginning of the novel, there is an introduction of fuku. A curse believed to have from the Europeans in the process of their New world conquest. The main focus of the story by Junot Díaz Oscar and his family as they settled in New Jersey.

Oscar complains that he had never had a perfect love life save for the time when he was 7 and had two girlfriends; Maritza and Olga. When forced to choose, he took Maritza and left Olga. Unfortunately, Maritza also broke up with him soon after.

Because Oscar Gained weight and had acne as a teenager, it was hard for him to get a genuine girlfriend. Moreover, he could not fit in with his peers in school because he loved sci-fi. His family was also not supportive of the things he loved. The sister called Lola often insisted he should lose weight.

He meets a girl called Anna. They spend time together. Later, Oscar realized she had a boyfriend named Manny, who often mistreated her, but she still loved him. Finally, Ana leaves Oscar heartbroken when Manny comes back.

The story then shifts to Lola. Because their mother developed breast cancer, it was always hard for her to control Lola. Lola is rebellious and is sent to live with her grandmother in the Dominican Republic. She gets another boyfriend called Max back there.

Beli, Oscar’s mother, is the next focus of the novel. At a young age, she was also rebellious. The General whom she fell in love with is roughed and killed by Trujillo’s men. Beli had to escape to the US for her safety.

Yunior, Oscar’s college friend, helps Oscar deal with love issues. He also falls in love with Lola. Lola does not like the fact that Yunior helps Oscar. A girl called Jenni who broke Oscar’s heart. Oscar’s escape plan is to commit suicide. Instead, he ends up with a dislocated shoulder.

Back in the Dominican Republic, Oscar finds a prostitute called Ybon and falls in love. He is beaten up by Ybon’s boyfriend. Oscar is taken back to New Jersey. In an attempt to get back Ybon, Oscar is shot and killed by the Captain’s men.

Cancer kills Oscar’s mother. Lola and Yunior split, but Yunior still loves her. Lola gets married to Cuban. They have a child together. She also receives manuscripts from Oscar of how he loved Ybon before he was killed.