Oscar is a sweet but overweight sci-fi obsessed introvert who--from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister--dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fuku--a curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, following them on their epic journey from New Jersey to Washington Heights and back to Santo Domingo. Encapsulating Dominican American history, Oscar's story opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere--and risk it all--in the name of love.