This Is How You Lose Her

By: Junot Díaz

Narrated by: Junot Díaz

Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

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

as always Junot Diaz does not dissapoint

the undeniable sound of Diaz’ writing is unlike any other. As a dominican American you not only resonate with the characters but feel the comfort to know theres alot of similarities to the lives of many dominicans here in the US.

Great story.

I love this story just as much as I loved reading Drown. This book gives a personal outlook on the struggles of life, love, & immigration.

Junot Diaz Reads As Well As He Writes

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

Brilliantly written moving

What did you like best about this story?

The humanity and richness of each of his characters.

What about Junot Díaz’s performance did you like?

He didn't perform. He read his story as if he was telling you about it. One on one.

If you could take any character from This Is How You Lose Her out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The narrator, because he looks at life all around him, (not just at his own belly button), with understanding and compassion.You can feel the icy, treacherous shards of ice under the feet. The Promised Land comes at great cost, if it comes at all.

I read to learn, and in his cool, wry way Diaz delivers on every page.

Any additional comments?

I send this book over and over as a thank you note. Also, it is wonderful because when have to, you can pick it up and put it down. There is no catch up time. You hear his voice and you are right there.

Relatable and Heart Wrenching

In perfect form, Junot Diaz relates to readers exactly how you lose her. We've all known guys like Junior. He is a sympathetic character who isn't perfect, isn't always nice, but who, through perfect storytelling, we come to love in spite of his flaws. Diaz as narrator adds the intended flavor to this masterpiece collection of shorts that is simply too good to miss.

"You must learn her.

You must know the reason why she is silent. You must trace her weakest spots. You must write to her. You must remind her that you are there. You must know how long it takes for her to give up. You must be there to hold her when she is about to.

You must love her because many have tried and failed. And she wants to know that she is worthy to be loved, that she is worthy to be kept.

And, this is how you keep her."

Great book

I loved everything about this book. I thought it would be depressing but it was actually enjoyable. The book ended with me loving Junior despite his many character flaws and infidelity

Bad Boys

Yunior (Diaz's alter ego) is doggiest of dogs: a compulsive womanizer, he nonetheless falls in love with one serious, ambitious woman after another, each of whom eventually leaves him with not a glance back. He suffers greatly -- the last story in the collection features a Job-like catalog of sufferings -- but also energetically, hilariously, floridly. Reading this book reminded me that depression is an intensely active state. Yunior is flailing and drowning in his own misery and chaos, but also in the misery and chaos of his history, that of his fellow Dominicans and of the immigrant experience. And he's also glorying in it, with an acuity of observation and a jazz-like ecstasy of description that is profane, filthy, funny and beautiful. He's a mess, and he's a searching mess. Diaz touches upon many possible sources of Yunior's dysfunction, but is too shrewd and humane to manufacture insight, to tie it up with a bow and present it to Yunior or to the reader. You don't want to do more than touch, lightly, bruises so fresh and deep.

Fabuloso

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

I love audio books because they allow me to knit and read at the same time. Since this was narrated by the author, it ensured that the perspective of the author came through.

What was one of the most memorable moments of This Is How You Lose Her?

The most memorable for me is when Rafi works in the yarn store. He has absolutely nothing in common with any of the ladies there, however, he still insists on overcoming his illness.

Which character – as performed by Junot Díaz – was your favorite?

Of course, Yunior was my favorite. However, I loved Rafi.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it is.

Memorable stories, compelling story writing

If you're in the mood for effectively written, heart-wrenching contemporary stories that might well leave you feeling sad, this is the collection for you. Note, I listened to the audiobook version, which earns an extra star for the author's earnest narration efforts.

What a voice! Both figuratively and literally...

It is such a pleasure to hear an author read their own work. And doubly so when the work is of such quality.

Not all of the interconnected stories in this book are of the high standard f the title story, but Junot Diaz just nails it most of the time. He strips away so much artifice in his writing, and speaks so cleanly and clearly about relationship. His reading of the work is clean and clear and without artifice as well.

My only complaint is with the producer and director - on a couple of occasions the edits are really sloppy - the pitch of the inserted word or phrase is really off. Just not professional quality work.

Anyway - it was great to listen to this audiobook and I highly recommend it.

Kudos from a New Jersey Girl

I generally do not like short stories. But I so very much loved Oscar Wao that I tried this one and was not disappointed. Diaz brings such a unique voice to the table in Junior--brash, bright, of the streets but literary, vulgar, introspective and charming. This is a book about people in a world very different than mine, who I wanted to meet and get to know. Only one of the stories fell a bit flat, interestingly the one told in a woman's voice.