Diaz doesn’t just write characters, she writes in universes. Each character in this short story, even the protagonist’s younger brother or love interests with minor roles, feels as if they exist in a world with entire histories and futures ahead of them. Diaz can create deep sympathy and connection with her characters by being unafraid to flinch from all aspects of their lives, an equation that leads to extremely developed and personal characters. Diaz never fails to take the opportunity to pour love and attention even into the smallest of details. While readers may not be able to relate to the overall experience of the characters, Diaz is constantly identifying pockets of unique details to highlight. This turns Diaz’s writing into immersive work that truly seizes the reader. When describing the emotional pain of discovering her mother’s cancer, Diaz eloquently writes “And at that moment, for reasons you will never quite understand, you are overcome by the feeling, the premonition, that something in your life is about to change. You become light-headed and you can feel a throbbing in your blood, a beat, a rhythm, a drum. Bright lights zoom through you like photon torpedoes, like comets. You don’t know how or why you know this thing but that you know it cannot be doubted. It is exhilarating,” (Diaz 53). The beautiful immersion and expansion of one moment is not just incredible writing, it is an opportunity to invite the reader in and stay. Through her always honest, always extremely-detailed, and always touching writing, Diaz forces you to meet her characters. Never sugarcoating, the ugly and gritty telling of this story lets you both find yourself in her characters while also being moved by the pain and tragedy in this story.
Recent Comments