" I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book yet, but I'll make some general observations as too my feelings right now (I just finished earlier today). First of all, this was probably one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Entertainment weekly describe it as "...a joy to read...," which I would say is not at all an accurate description. I don't think I felt the slightest inkling of joy while reading it. I'm also not sure what the author, Junot Diaz, was trying to get me to feel at the end, although it felt like he wanted me to feel something. However, I did find myself intrigued by the story enough to want to keep reading. In fact, I probably read through this book faster than I've read through the past 5 novels I've read. I didn't get bored, and it was certainly something different than other novels I've read. I found myself feeling immense sympathy, but also major frustration and anger for Oscar. I essentially felt that way about all the major players in this novel, with the exception of La Inca. I'm not sure if that's what kept me engaged, or what led me to only give it 3 stars.
I think one of my major frustrations with this novel was that Diaz made me feel alienated as a reader. Of course, that's probably something that some critics suggest is part of his genius. After all, the text is in many ways about alienation. The reason I admit to feeling alienated as a reader is because of his excessive use of Spanish. I know some may say that I sound ignorant by saying that, but I'm a reader who definitely appreciates the richness that can be added to a text through the use of other languages, particularly Spanish. I'm a big fan of other writers who have infused their work with Spanish words and phrases, particularly Sandra Cisneros, but I found Diaz's use of Spanish somewhat overwhelming and limiting. There were times when there was such a heavy use of Spanish that I felt I needed a Spanish-English dictionary to understand the text. I feel like I probably missed out on nuances of the story because I didn't have a Spanish dictionary, and I refused to sit with the book in my hand and a computer in front of me in order to translate the text (for me, that ruins the reading experience). Instead of being able to enjoy the beauty of the Spanish, I found it to be a source of frustration. It was so often used beyond my capabilities of inference that many times I simply ignored it. I'm sure that was not Diaz's intention, but I'm also fairly sure I'm not the only one for whom this was true.
All that being said, I can't say I didn't like this book. The fact that I read it quickly indicates to me that there was something about it that I found interesting and engaging. What that is, I don't think I quite know yet. Perhaps with some more reflection, I'll be able to put my finger on it. "
— Emily, 1/27/2014