A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY #11 in the New York Times '100 Best Books of the 21st Century' A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican family in New Jersey, Oscar's sweet but disastrously overweight. He dreams of becoming the next J. R. R. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. With dazzling energy and insight Dìaz immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family's uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back. 'The Best Novel of the 21st Century to Date' - BBC Culture.