THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO with DROWN

Although the listener may be a bit confused at times, both Jonathan Davis and Staci Snell do well in narrating Diaz’s long-awaited novel in Spanglish, an English and Spanish language mix that characterizes the culture presented. Diaz presents the impoverished side of the Dominican Republic with a no-holds-barred approach. Exposing both the raw, carnal explorations of young protagonists and the environments that molded them, Davis and Snell work hard at portraying the intentions of each character, as well as the snarling contempt of their world. The settings of the stories from Diaz’s first book, DROWN, include New Jersey and New York. They are well done and realistic. D.L.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]