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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.
With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.
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Community Reviews
I am incapable of capturing the power of this novel; of that I’m certain. Even to describe it broadly feels like a disservice. I would be inclined to say that it’s drawn in sketches, for instance, because it certainly doesn’t follow a set, linear path. But these passages don’t feel sketchy. They feel solid, inescapable even. In the same way, no character is fully drawn—we don’t even know some of the simplest details about them—and yet they feel deeply real.
Then, too, it’s a really challenging book. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such a hard time, emotionally, with an intimate book. Some of Toni Morrison’s work, I guess, but honestly even Beloved didn’t hit me this hard. And yet I never for a moment considered putting it down.
I’m also pretty sure I could read it a couple more times before I really wrapped my head around it, and at that point I might start to see some flaws. I don’t know if I’ll be up to that any time soon; for now, 10/10 almost doesn’t feel like enough.
For what it is, this small book really impressed me. Despite the poetic prose format of it, it didnât feel like there was any extra baggage â almost every moment felt like a quotable moment. If you like Siken, youâll probably enjoy Ocean Vuongâs style as well. Vuongâs personal story is very moving, and I only wish there were a little more of it written here. Some parts felt a little too unclear and hazy. Even so, Iâve already recommended this book to many others. Itâs really a book to savor.
Super poetic read, full of wisdom shared through raw and vividly described lived experiences! Strong emotional journey, incredibly timely while containing layers of universal truth with a strong awareness for the one-ness of all and the struggle of humans to realize that!
This is a sad, gut-wrenching novella about the protagonist's relationship with his mother. It is beautifully written and hauntingly memorable. There are moments in the book that I felt were too vulnerable for my own taste.
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