This being the first of Diaz's novels that I've read, I'm still trying to figure out if he's deliberately using misogyny as a way to illustrate how profoundly patriarchy has infiltrated the way heterosexual relationships are constructed and how that intersects with race, class, illness, grief, etc. But does he illuminate the way that men view themselves as tragic heroes and their female lovers as character foils that will bring to light their flaws and ultimately allow them to change? Or is he simply incapable of writing a woman as Subject? I'm still vacillating on this. I'd like to believe the former, as his refreshing writing style and use of dialogue and pronoun shifts are enjoyable to read. But at times when the misogyny became almost too blatant to appear intentional, I had to wonder? Junot Diaz, please write a novel where a woman has agency, complexity, sexual appetites that are not on either side of the oppressive virgin/whore dichotomy, and a storyline that gives her history, grace, and downfalls. Then we'll see.