Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

178 reviews

niallgoulding1's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a hard book to describe. Wholly unique for better and worse. 

The writing is beautiful. Every page has at least one sentence that will make you pause. It's an interesting contrast to see such beautiful prose applied to such unremittingly grim subject matter. 

There isn't a plot as such. We get snippets of the grandma doing whatever she needed to do to survive the Vietnam war. Then we glimpse moments of post-war struggle before a move to the US, which turns out to be less promised land and more a different form of hell. Very effective in describing "left behind" America. You see a society where life seems to have lost all joy and been reduced to a grind to survive. Poverty, substance abuse and trauma mingle; passing from generation to generation. But all of this is delivered in a fragmented style. One minute you're in a trailer watching an American dad drink himself to death in the early 00s, then a sentence later you're in Vietnam at some point in time. Its definitely confusing and I'm not sure the novel benefits from this. An even slightly more structured approach would've helped a lot. 

The writer is clearly trying to process a lot of contradictory feelings and lots of interesting ideas comes out of that. What to feel for a mother who loves him but whose own issues prevent her being a supportive presence. A country that has left his community to die on mass from opoids and always reminds him of his "otherness" but one which gave the son of poor immigrants the opportunity to become a renowned poet. A first love that is both touching and harmful - sabotaged by self-hatred and unforgiving circumstances. 

Ultimately a novel about people's inability to communicate and process trauma. Not perfect but powerful. 

"I'm sorry I keep saying - how are you? when I mean are you happy?" 

"They will want you to succeed, but never more than them. They will write their names on your leash and call you necessary"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

astridrv's review against another edition

I am so curious about the author's poetry now. This was a mesmerizing, gorgeous book, born from the five senses, a detailed attention to the world, an ear to the heart and beyond. I did feel it had the pitfalls of its daring: a lack of structure despite a love for patterns, parts that didn't fly despite most of the prose soaring, an occasional cliché despite such fresh and vivid images, too many rhetorical questions and aphorisms when everything is already there. But I loved it.

"And like a word, I hold no weight in this world yet still carry my own life."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Violence, Grief, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Alcohol

kelisabeth's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chaosbumblebee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a beautiful book it makes me want to go back and lower my rating of everything else so that this is the only 5 star read I have this year--or ever. Heartbreaking, poignant, perfect and imperfect, Vuong puts words to feelings I didn't know words could be put to. I need to call my mom.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

crispycritter's review against another edition

I kept seeing these beautiful quotes from OEWBG come up on the Tumblr-esque side of instagram, but unfortunately there’s no real narrative structure holding the occasional beautiful thought together. 

I generally love 1st person stream of consciousness books with meandering or borderline non-existent plots. I don’t mind purple or highly lyrical prose. This book is basically a walking trigger warning, but even that didn’t make me put it down- because I thought the violence and horror were handled well.

This book just did not work for me. Poetry isn’t really my jam and this just felt like it should have been a collection of poems. I didn’t feel like there was much reason or justification for it being a “novel.” I dunno, perhaps auto fiction is just not for me and that’s the issue. It feels awful to say, given the heavy subject matter of this book, but it was boring. Boring and dark. And that’s not what I enjoy reading. Respectfully DNFing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

booksinherhead's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.5

An absolutely STUNNING debut. Written from a son to his mother, this novel charts a young queer man's childhood and adolesance, his relationship with his mother, and his relationship with himself. An extraordinary examination of the mother/son dynamic and the plight of Vietnamese immigrants in the early 2000s, this novel is absolutely not one to miss. It's such a short and delicate little book I finished it wanting MORE. Perfect for readers who enjoyed Barabara Kingslover's DEMON COPPERHEAD.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and War

branson03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

A lovely and eloquent read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and War

ameliasbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

More thoughts to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Gun violence and Car accident

angelo_vossen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

„I am thinking of beauty again, how some things are hunted because we have deemed them beautiful. If, relative to the history of our planet, an individual life is so short, a blink of an eye, as they say, then to be gorgeous, even from the day you're born to the day you die, is to be gorgeous only briefly.“

"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong is a stunning debut novel that blends poetic language with a raw and intimate narrative. The novel is framed as a letter from the protagonist, Little Dog, to his illiterate mother, capturing the complexities of their relationship and the broader tapestry of their lives as Vietnamese immigrants in America.

Vuong's prose is lyrical and evocative, drawing on his background as a poet to create vivid imagery and deep emotional resonance. The novel delves into themes of identity, trauma, and the search for belonging, exploring how personal and collective histories shape the characters' lives. The narrative oscillates between past and present, weaving Little Dog's coming-of-age story with reflections on his family's experiences during the Vietnam War.

One of the novel's strengths is its exploration of intergenerational trauma and the immigrant experience, shedding light on the challenges faced by those straddling two cultures. Little Dog's struggles with his sexuality, his bond with his mother, and the haunting memories of his family's past are portrayed with unflinching honesty. Vuong also delves into topics like homophobia as for example portrayed in the following quote and the effects of society‘s expectations and pressure:

„The large boy took out a key chain and started scraping the paint off my bike. It came off so easily, in rosy sparks. I sat there, watching the concrete fleck with bits of pink as he gashed the key against the bike's bones. I wanted to cry but did not yet know how to in English. So I did nothing.

That was the day I learned how dangerous a color can be. That a boy could be knocked off that shade and made to reckon his trespass. Even if color is nothing but what the light reveals, that ‚nothing’ has laws, and a boy on a pink bike must learn, above all else, the law of gravity.“

While the novel's non-linear structure and dense prose may be challenging for some readers (including myself), Vuong's ability to convey profound truths through his writing makes it a deeply rewarding read. "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" is a poignant and powerful meditation on love, loss, and the beauty and pain of life. It is a book that lingers in the mind long after the last page is turned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and Abortion

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Cancer and Outing

loquaciousleon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

A spiritual and emotional masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, War, and Classism