Junot Diaz’s novel, "Drown", discusses such topics as poverty, immigration, criminal activity, buying/selling and using illegal drugs, prostitution, familial relationships and friendship. All ten stories are written through the eyes of a young boy living in the Dominican Republic and Central New Jersey. The coming-of-age stories are thought provoking, yet simultaneously rough and sensitive.
The author was successful in holding my interest throughout all ten stories. What make this novel different from the others, I have read to-date, is the fact that I did not have a favorite character. I felt disconnected to all of the characters in each story. As the reader experiences the stories through the eyes of the main character, Yunior, at times one may feel revolted, scarred and mind-boggled.
The author would like the reader to get the impression that poverty-stricken immigrants do not have choices. Many of the stories offered little opportunity or hope. However, critical reading will present one universal theme…choice. For Yunior there were times that choices presented opportunity and other times where there were little or no choice. Some of Yunior’s choices may catapult the reader into head-spinning questions pertaining to morality. Yet, despite the author’s attempt to persuade the reader otherwise, coming-of-age choices are presented to individuals regardless of race, class and gender. It is the choices that one makes that will determine the immediate and future action and consequence.
I would not recommend this book to young readers. I would put the book in the category of 18 and older, due to explicit references to drugs and sexual encounters. Overall, the novel was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who is in desperate need of a reality check.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yes! Although I was apprehensive beacuse it was a book of short stories, "Drown" held my attention...I just wasn't a fan of No Face...but I kept reading them because it beacme addictive to know what's next and I don't know I kinda had hope for Yunior...
ReplyDeleteI would think that your point about choices is an excellent one. That could be the basis of all discussion as you read these stories with teen-age students. Exactly what choices were made by the characters in each of the short stories? What other choices could have been made?
ReplyDeleteI suggest to you that Diaz did not intend for you to like any of these characters or to connect to any of them either. I suggest that he wanted to introduce you to a way of living that is new to those of us who live in the suburbs of New Jersey....poverty and hopelessness. Question to ponder: Do any of these young people have a role model that would assist them in making sensible, moral, caring type decisions or do we see immature, irresponsible behavior on the part of most of the adults in this stories? How can we expect young people to make positive choices when they have no frame of reference? I missed teachers in these stories. Did it bother you that there was no attempt to reach out to these young people, to steer them in a sensible direction, to fill the void made by inept parents? I think all of the characters in these stories cried out for direction, for love, for tenderness. Do you agree? 3-15-10