Meet the Cast
Oscar Wao
Mr. Nerdtastic Ever imagine what would happen if Urkel and Betty Suarez had a baby together? And that baby was Dominican? If so, we think he'd be something like Oscar Wao.You simply can't hide from...
Yunior
The Mystery Man in My HeadWhat's that, omnipresent voice in our heads? Oh, hey, Yunior. Listen, you can stop talking to us now, we're done reading that novel you narrated. Thanks. You know, for all...
Beli Cabral
She's One Scary MotherYou know that one girl you grew up with who doesn't take anything from anyone? Beli is that kind of mom—tough as nails, and sort of scary to boot. In Chapter 1, Díaz hints...
La Inca
La Inca and Beli are like oil and water—it's actually easy to forget that La Inca raises Beli. The two seem so different. Beli rules the de León house with an iron fist. Beli snaps at Lola; she...
Abelard
The Good Doctor In a sense, Dr. Abelard brings the fukú down on the whole Cabral famn damily. He enrages Trujillo, the Dominican Republic's dictatorial leader, by not allowing Jackie to attend pre...
Ybón
The Girl with Two FacesRemember Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? Well, that's basically Ybón, if Ybón were white and Oscar were actually rich and powerful. Oscar falls in love with her late in the...
All Those Evil, Murdering Menfolk
For every happy relationship in Wao, there are at least four devastating ones. And the vast majority of boyfriends in this book are really, really terrible. We're not talking about, like, guys who...
Oscar's Cabal of Crushes
As you know, Oscar is obsessed with women. And until he meets Ybón, noneof them really reciprocate his interest. Except for his cute little childhood girlfriends. We've grouped all of Oscar's main...
Comedic Duos
Díaz has a weakness for comedic duos. Check these guys out. Solomon Grundy and Gorilla GrodThese two dunces take orders from Ybón's capitán. There's no way to tell them apart. They appear only t...
Other Minor, But Significant, Characters
RudolfoWe aren't able to piece together Rudolfo's whole backstory, but we do know that this dude is Oscar's scary uncle. He shows up at the de León residence after a stint in prison. He has four k...