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idavonoldenburg's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Drug abuse
pzrlla's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, War, and Classism
gabbygolucky96's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is the book I have found that most excellently encapsulates the complexities of generational trauma, abuse, queer identity, and the messiness of it all. This is a book that I will definitely need to reread over the years because it is impossible to take it all in on the first read. This book is powerful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and War
erinjeanhussey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and War
teh_niarr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
superjesssica's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
”I am writing you from inside a body that used to be yours. Which is to say, I am writing as a son.”
A letter from a son to his mother who cannot read. A complex and compelling non-linear story about a Vietnamese family (the boy Little Dog, his mother and grandmother) living in Hartford. The letter follows the past, present and future of Little Dog and his family, with all the pain, love and care that life brings with it.
I cried until I got a headache reading this book. It is heavy, sad and beautiful all at once. The characters are deeply flawed (as people are) and their love isn’t always pretty. Ocean Vuong’s poetic prose is slow, thoughtful and haunting. One of my favorite reads ever.
A letter from a son to his mother who cannot read. A complex and compelling non-linear story about a Vietnamese family (the boy Little Dog, his mother and grandmother) living in Hartford. The letter follows the past, present and future of Little Dog and his family, with all the pain, love and care that life brings with it.
I cried until I got a headache reading this book. It is heavy, sad and beautiful all at once. The characters are deeply flawed (as people are) and their love isn’t always pretty. Ocean Vuong’s poetic prose is slow, thoughtful and haunting. One of my favorite reads ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
itshamza's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
truly an enchanting book… every line was poetry… this man needs to calm tf down cuz my goodness the pictures he paints… his mind is so beautiful
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
barath_6023's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A beautiful book that I can only describe as "intensely personal", which I found was a work of fiction after many pages in!
It's a letter from the protagonist, Little Dog, to his mother, but it's also a letter to everything that has lead up to who he is, who they are in the world.
The story of them and other different characters(Lan, Paul, etc.) , the events and countries they drift across lends well to the poetic and stream of consciousness style. However, I did find some parts of the book to get lost in metaphors and purple poetry.
It's a letter from the protagonist, Little Dog, to his mother, but it's also a letter to everything that has lead up to who he is, who they are in the world.
The story of them and other different characters(Lan, Paul, etc.) , the events and countries they drift across lends well to the poetic and stream of consciousness style. However, I did find some parts of the book to get lost in metaphors and purple poetry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, and Abortion
michaelapr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a beautifully written book that was heartbreaking in some moments, hard to read in others, and poignant throughout.
I was under the impression that this was nonfiction but it's actually fiction. I read it as more of a lyric essay with some parts prose, other parts poetry, and parts that still feel very true even after knowing some parts are fictional. All of these parts were connected through a process that seemed to appear on paper even when I know that the words only sound the way they do through a lot of editing.
This is essentially an exploration of identity, of an intense parent-child relationship, of the opioid epidemic through the eyes of someone who's friends keep dying, and of an ever present grief caused by trauma from wars of multiple varieties. Ocean Vuong does these explorations well by reflecting in a way that feels true.
The reason why this book falls just short of a 4 for me is hard to explain except it's probably mostly because of the end. The very end started to feel... looser to me than the rest of the book. The connections not as clear to me, the meaning of the table metaphor (was it a metaphor?) just out of reach, and the ending lines not clicking with me. This might've just been me - maybe if I read this again down the line I'd understand that part better. There were also parts of this that were hard to read. This isn't necessarily what made it not a 4 stars or above because these parts felt necessary, no matter how painful or cringe worthy. It's just worth noting to check triggers if you need to.
Overall this was a well written book that wants to make you think about important aspects of the American experience that many hate to acknowledge exists and Vuong succeeds in this mission.
I was under the impression that this was nonfiction but it's actually fiction. I read it as more of a lyric essay with some parts prose, other parts poetry, and parts that still feel very true even after knowing some parts are fictional. All of these parts were connected through a process that seemed to appear on paper even when I know that the words only sound the way they do through a lot of editing.
This is essentially an exploration of identity, of an intense parent-child relationship, of the opioid epidemic through the eyes of someone who's friends keep dying, and of an ever present grief caused by trauma from wars of multiple varieties. Ocean Vuong does these explorations well by reflecting in a way that feels true.
The reason why this book falls just short of a 4 for me is hard to explain except it's probably mostly because of the end. The very end started to feel... looser to me than the rest of the book. The connections not as clear to me, the meaning of the table metaphor (was it a metaphor?) just out of reach, and the ending lines not clicking with me. This might've just been me - maybe if I read this again down the line I'd understand that part better. There were also parts of this that were hard to read. This isn't necessarily what made it not a 4 stars or above because these parts felt necessary, no matter how painful or cringe worthy. It's just worth noting to check triggers if you need to.
Overall this was a well written book that wants to make you think about important aspects of the American experience that many hate to acknowledge exists and Vuong succeeds in this mission.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Body shaming and Emotional abuse