Wildwood

“Wildwood” is a chapter in Junot Diaz’s first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and it was also published separately as a standalone short story. The coming-of-age story is told by Lola, Oscar’s older sister, who endures a contentious and often violent relationship with their mother, Belicia. The first part of the story is told in the second person, with Lola speaking to her slightly younger self, removed from the experience. The “you” of the second-person point of view also engages the reader on a personal level, giving more plausibility to the story and drawing a kinship with the reader. It also creates a clear separation between her childhood self and her more matured self, which is communicated through first-person narration later in the story.

At the beginning of the story, specific and lengthy details are given here about Lola’s mother’s breasts. In six different ways, they are described as being large, and the young, flat-chested Lola is embarrassed by them. Her mother sees them as symbols of sexuality and attractiveness, but Lola feels that they merely garner negative attention, and she specifically speaks about them in a desexualized, almost disgusted way.