This Is How You Lose Her

By: Junot Díaz

Narrated by: Junot Díaz

Junot Díaz burst into the literary world with Drown, a collection of indelible stories that revealed a major new writer with the "eye of a journalist and the tongue of a poet" (Newsweek). His eagerly awaited first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, arrived like a thunderclap, topping best-of-the-year lists and winning a host of major awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. Now Díaz turns his prodigious talent to the haunting, impossible power of love.

The stories in This Is How You Lose Her, by turns hilarious and devastating, raucous and tender, lay bare the infinite longing and inevitable weaknesses of our all-too-human hearts. They capture the heat of new passion, the recklessness with which we betray what we most treasure, and the torture we go through - "the begging, the crawling over glass, the crying" - to try to mend what we've broken beyond repair. They recall the echoes that intimacy leaves behind, even where we thought we did not care. They teach us the catechism of affections: that the faithlessness of the fathers is visited upon the children; that what we do unto our exes is inevitably done in turn unto us; and that loving thy neighbor as thyself is a commandment more safely honored on platonic than erotic terms. Most of all, these stories remind us that the habit of passion always triumphs over experience, and that "love, when it hits us for real, has a half-life of forever."

©2012 Junot Díaz (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Junot Diaz the writer, the storyteller = great!

Always great to read along the text with an audio version of it by your side and this truly was a perfect companion. Glad he took the time and placed great care in his narrating as well!

Terrific Collection of Short Stories

Any additional comments?

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Junot Diaz’s follow up to “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” which is one of my favorite audiobooks and one of my favorite novels. I also wasn’t too keen on Junot Diaz’s narration at first, mostly because Jonathan Davis’s narration of Oscar Wao was so good but I quickly grew to like it. To me, “This Is How You Lose Her” exists somewhere between Oscar Wao and “Drown.” I felt that the short stories were less minimalistic than in “Drown” but they took place in the same universe as some characters featured in both books make appearances – mostly the character Yunior. I guarded myself before listening to this collection because I thought an audiobook of short stories couldn’t live up to the grandeur of Oscar Wao but fortunately I was pleasantly surprised. The stories here are great.

yes!

Buy this Audio book you will be laughing and crying within the same 5 minutes.

Great book

LOVE anything by Junot. Although i wasn't a fan of the way he reads, his stories are still moving. Two thumbs up, always.

Junot Diaz is a modern master of the short story

While I very much enjoyed The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Diaz is at his best when working with the short story form. Like Drown, this is an outstanding book with connected but independent short stories. Diaz's voice is like no one else's, and he creates memorable, flawed, yet endearing characters. Many readers are hesitant to read collections of short stories, but This is How You Lose Her reads almost like a novel.

All things being equal, I prefer author-narrated audiobooks, though some authors shouldn't be allowed within twenty feet of a microphone. Diaz is the perfect narrator for his work, and his warm tone is perfect for describing the dialogue and actions of characters who are sometimes less than sympathetic.

Fix the chapters

Please make the chapters consistent with the stories. It is very frustrating to listen to in fidi Chao stories.

Authentic

What made the experience of listening to This Is How You Lose Her the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed the fact that this was read by the author.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters, particularly Yunior, had such an authentic voice. He is flawed and relatable.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Elvis finds out that the son he thought was his, was not.

Any additional comments?

Mr. Diaz creates fascinating characters with strong voices. He is particularly adept at capturing heart wrenching emotions behind the heavy masks of his multidimensional characters.

Love this guy.

If you could sum up This Is How You Lose Her in three words, what would they be?

Raw, Sad, Smart

What other book might you compare This Is How You Lose Her to and why?

no idea, but it left me with the same sad feeling as the Great Gatsby.

What about Junot Díaz’s performance did you like?

I like the way he talks. So raw and then he'll throw in a SAT word. Lots of fun.

If you could rename This Is How You Lose Her, what would you call it?

I wouldn't do that.

Captivating and engaging from beginning to end!

Loved it! Great read. Funny and touching at moments. Enjoyed this immensely. Highly recommend it.

Absolutely mesmerizing....

Would you consider the audio edition of This Is How You Lose Her to be better than the print version?

This story is so well told that I travelled to the Dominican Republic;s history and felt what living there and then being an immigrant in the streets of New Jersey.... It was compelling, exciting, well written and a page turner... Thank you Junot!!

What did you like best about this story?

A culture I knew nothing of became real and alive for me

Have you listened to any of Junot Díaz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No...

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

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