Fantastically well-written (from multiple perspectives and with a poetical mixture of footnotes and slang) story of a big nerdy guy looking desperately for love. A mythic story spanning generations of Oscar's Dominican family, including his run-away sister and his orphaned beauty mother. With its subject matter, character, and style, it is very similar to other recent great contemporary/modernist/Romantic novels The Shipping News and Everything is Illuminated. Powerful and thoroughly engaging story with fascinating and charming characters and a truly wondrous style. Grade: A