I devoured this book.

This is How You Lose Her is a collection of... vignettes, really. It reminds me of a rougher version of the stories I love so much from Jhumpa Lahiri. Junot Diaz, the author, writes in a vulgar, raw, and disrespectful way. He describes Yunior, the central character, throughout various stages of his life. Mostly, Yunior is a jerk: he cheats, he is a bit racist, he is a womanizer, and (in general) a man with a bit too much "machismo". I didn't like this book because I found Yunior an admirable person, that's for sure.

What I love so much (my heart is racing a bit here) is that Diaz creates "people". Several times, I felt like I was reading about a real man and his experiences in love, no matter how different they are from my own. When Diaz writes about arguments between lovers, for example, he writes in such a unique way that I find myself feeling like maybe that "person" and I share something; like we were connecting somehow. Remembering when a partner was unfaithful, in one instance - the stupid things you feel, the emotions you go through, the things you begin to believe about yourself; the intensity and desperation of these moments. Many times, Diaz simply understands these feelings that span across all cultures and socioeconomic groups.

In general, I enjoy books that explore the deepest corners of human emotion: very happy, very sad, very lonely, etc. I like how creative Diaz is in describing these interactions - this was a simple read, but each simple sentence held a lot of visual and emotional meaning.

So good. I'm a fan.