3.75/5

“From the top of Westminster, our main strip, you could see the thinnest sliver of ocean creating the horizon to the east. My father has been shown that sight - the management showed everyone- but as he drove us from JFK he didn’t stop to point it out. The ocean might have made us feel better, considering what else there was to see. London Terrace itself was a mess; half the buildings needed their wiring and in the evening light these structures sprawled about like ships of brick that had run aground. Mid followed gravel everywhere and the grass, planted later in Fall, poked out of the snow in dead tufts.”

“Nilda is watching the ground as though she’s afraid it might fall.” My heart is beating and I think, we could do anything, we could marry, we could drive off to the west coast, we could start over. It’s all possible but neither of us speaks for a long time and the moment closes and we’re back in the world we’ve always known.”

“You, Yunior, have a girlfriend named Alma, who has a long tender horse neck and a big Dominican ass that seems to exist in the fourth dimension beyond jeans.”

I really like the way Junot Díaz writes. I enjoyed reading “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” a few years ago and also enjoyed this collection of short stories. It essentially follows Yunior (a character in that novel) and is a series of short stories about his failed/past relationships and family life growing up in NJ.

Once again, I found myself drawn to the characters and the setting, most. They vividly pop off the page and their locale becomes so real in my mind I forget where I am while reading. Reading his words feels like looking at art, IMO.

My only criticism is the same as his other books I’ve read - I wish there was more of a plot! I wish it was more concrete and longer. But alas… it’s an interesting glimpse into a life that’s far from perfect (and very unlike my own), but has an impact nonetheless.

I hope he writes another novel - I’d devour it!