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laughingrecord's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Excrement, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
writingcaia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.75
A son’s letter to his illiterate mother. A letter he knows she won’t read but still hopes she does, so she that knows his love, his anger, his forgiveness for her, his secrets and turmoil of emotions.
This is his story, a half Vietnamese American gay boy, with a ptsd (trauma induced) violent mother, a demented but so wise grandmother, an absent father, living in a bad neighbourhood, and him falling in love with a “white trash” addict boy. It is also about flashes of his mother and grandmother’s lives, the Vietnam War and the brutality, and extreme violence and destruction it imposed on the Vietnamese, like his mother and grandmother.
Like the lives of those we see through his eyes, his is hard and sad, but with moments of genuine enchantment and delight, the little things he treasures, specially when he’s a little boy, but then there’s the love, which is strange and hard too, a homophobic gay boy, an addict, but there’s still love, and I risk saying it reads as if he was if not the love of his life one of.
Just writing this so long after I’ve finished the book, I feel like crying, it digs deep and latches, it’s moving and emotional, crude and candid, no filters only vivid truth.
It’s really a tale about the consequences of war in second and third generations, about racism, about coming out as gay, about addiction and how it can kill off a generation in poor countries/neighbourhoods, and about love and understanding for a hard mother.
The book reads almost as a poem, lyric and entrancing, as it is harsh and brutal in its words, moving like a wave, advancing and receding, although mostly moving temporarily forward in his life.
I think this is a book that will become a classic of our times since it touches with such candor on so many relevant and 20th century important moments and circumstances, and the lives of those born in the last decades of it in the US of A.
This is his story, a half Vietnamese American gay boy, with a ptsd (trauma induced) violent mother, a demented but so wise grandmother, an absent father, living in a bad neighbourhood, and him falling in love with a “white trash” addict boy. It is also about flashes of his mother and grandmother’s lives, the Vietnam War and the brutality, and extreme violence and destruction it imposed on the Vietnamese, like his mother and grandmother.
Like the lives of those we see through his eyes, his is hard and sad, but with moments of genuine enchantment and delight, the little things he treasures, specially when he’s a little boy, but then there’s the love, which is strange and hard too, a homophobic gay boy, an addict, but there’s still love, and I risk saying it reads as if he was if not the love of his life one of.
Just writing this so long after I’ve finished the book, I feel like crying, it digs deep and latches, it’s moving and emotional, crude and candid, no filters only vivid truth.
It’s really a tale about the consequences of war in second and third generations, about racism, about coming out as gay, about addiction and how it can kill off a generation in poor countries/neighbourhoods, and about love and understanding for a hard mother.
The book reads almost as a poem, lyric and entrancing, as it is harsh and brutal in its words, moving like a wave, advancing and receding, although mostly moving temporarily forward in his life.
I think this is a book that will become a classic of our times since it touches with such candor on so many relevant and 20th century important moments and circumstances, and the lives of those born in the last decades of it in the US of A.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Excrement, Car accident, and War
mahitdzmare's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
4.0
the prose was incredibly beautiful and moving that the scene when little dog actually poops while him and trevor are doing anal was a little too jarring. I think this book would’ve worked better if it was solely a novel in verse, still ocean voung’s talent is palpable and amazing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Homophobia
Minor: Bullying, Death, and War
kwiko's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
Most of the other reviews says it all: This a beautifully written book, one of most beautiful I had the chance to read in fact. The words were so poignant that I've found myself taking notes of some passage during my reading. This letter to a mother is a must read for anybody who likes a slow-paced book written gracefully, about trauma, tenderness, self-discovery, healing, acceptance and way more. I'd read it again in a heartbeat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
Minor: War
lostinpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Now.. it is NO surprise this author is a natural poet because oh my god. this is beautiful and I loved the writing style. If you love lyrical writing then you will take this book in every crevice of your body as I did.
I found it difficult to believe this was fiction. There is something about Little Dog's story, a certain raw honesty and earnestness, that seems to come from a place of truth. Maybe because much of it does. The author draws on recent and historical events, stories of well-known figures, artists and tragedies to weave his fictional story with every inch of our reality I give this four stars instead of five mostly because I feel like the romance weighed this book down in a way. NOW HERE ME OUT I just didn’t really feel like Little Dog’s relationship with Trevor contributed much to the book? Like, I appreciate the exploration of queerness in the context of being Asian American and within the context of an immigrant family. I also liked how Vuong wrote gay sex in a way that felt realistic in its messiness instead of doing what a lot of people – especially heterosexual women who write gay sex – do by glossing over its complexities and portraying it as seamlessly hot. But I didn’t really get much from Trevor and Little Dog together aside Little Dog dating a white boy with toxic masculinity issues. I wish there had been more interrogation of the power dynamics involved with dating a white person or even being intimate in any way with a white person when you have a marginalized racial/ethnic identity. THIS WAS SUCH A CLOSE 5 STAR
I found it difficult to believe this was fiction. There is something about Little Dog's story, a certain raw honesty and earnestness, that seems to come from a place of truth. Maybe because much of it does. The author draws on recent and historical events, stories of well-known figures, artists and tragedies to weave his fictional story with every inch of our reality I give this four stars instead of five mostly because I feel like the romance weighed this book down in a way. NOW HERE ME OUT I just didn’t really feel like Little Dog’s relationship with Trevor contributed much to the book? Like, I appreciate the exploration of queerness in the context of being Asian American and within the context of an immigrant family. I also liked how Vuong wrote gay sex in a way that felt realistic in its messiness instead of doing what a lot of people – especially heterosexual women who write gay sex – do by glossing over its complexities and portraying it as seamlessly hot. But I didn’t really get much from Trevor and Little Dog together aside Little Dog dating a white boy with toxic masculinity issues. I wish there had been more interrogation of the power dynamics involved with dating a white person or even being intimate in any way with a white person when you have a marginalized racial/ethnic identity. THIS WAS SUCH A CLOSE 5 STAR
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Homophobia
flamesocks's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
archaicrobin's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful books I have ever read (or technically listened to). Ocean Vuoung writes beautifully and completely destroyed me at the same time.
Written as a letter to his illiterate mother who fled Vietnam during the war, Little Dog shares his struggles growing up as a gay Vietnamese man in America at a time where tolerance was almost non-existent. You hear about his mother’s story of survival, along with that of his grandmother’s. You hear about the horrific things his family has endured and that he has endured at the hands of his family. So much emotion is in this book, it completely destroyed me.
I highly recommend this novel and if you can, get the audiobook so you can hear Ocean’s narration of it! This is one I’ll be thinking about for awhile….
Written as a letter to his illiterate mother who fled Vietnam during the war, Little Dog shares his struggles growing up as a gay Vietnamese man in America at a time where tolerance was almost non-existent. You hear about his mother’s story of survival, along with that of his grandmother’s. You hear about the horrific things his family has endured and that he has endured at the hands of his family. So much emotion is in this book, it completely destroyed me.
I highly recommend this novel and if you can, get the audiobook so you can hear Ocean’s narration of it! This is one I’ll be thinking about for awhile….
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Classism
flor3nce17's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
Written poetically. In that sense, it can be difficult to understand as to grasp the meaning, you have to read between the lines.
Liked the writing but because I struggled to grasp the meaning, I wasn't able to fully enjoy it. Tried to push through to finish.
Quotes:
'He was only nine but had already mastered the dialect of damaged American fathers.'
Liked the writing but because I struggled to grasp the meaning, I wasn't able to fully enjoy it. Tried to push through to finish.
Quotes:
'He was only nine but had already mastered the dialect of damaged American fathers.'
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Abortion
meliflowers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
"All this time I told myself we were born from war - but I was wrong ma. We were born from beauty. Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence - but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it."
I keep starting over and over. It's hard to put all of my thoughts into words. I'm mostly worried I'll end up putting too many of them.
I cried a few times and then frowned some times. Some of the scene coming dangerously close to my own experiences and feelings and other scenes so far removed from my world I had a hard time imagining them.
This book is filled with beautiful prose and I could quote a hundred things out of it. But the one I chose captures the essence of this book perfectly. It captures the reality of a Vietnamese boy growing up in the United States as a immigrant child. He explores various themes like war, trauma, abuse, addiction, immigration and racism but also gender and sexuality. Despite its heavy themes, the book is well balanced in its storytelling.
I picked this book up for its gorgeous title & cover and I don't regret it for one bit. I would recommend this as a mellow story, preferably read in a warm space with sunlight (the sun ought to compensate for some of the sadness you might feel).
I keep starting over and over. It's hard to put all of my thoughts into words. I'm mostly worried I'll end up putting too many of them.
I cried a few times and then frowned some times. Some of the scene coming dangerously close to my own experiences and feelings and other scenes so far removed from my world I had a hard time imagining them.
This book is filled with beautiful prose and I could quote a hundred things out of it. But the one I chose captures the essence of this book perfectly. It captures the reality of a Vietnamese boy growing up in the United States as a immigrant child. He explores various themes like war, trauma, abuse, addiction, immigration and racism but also gender and sexuality. Despite its heavy themes, the book is well balanced in its storytelling.
I picked this book up for its gorgeous title & cover and I don't regret it for one bit. I would recommend this as a mellow story, preferably read in a warm space with sunlight (the sun ought to compensate for some of the sadness you might feel).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and War
mali33102's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
This book was heartbreaking. I really don't have much to say about it. It was beautifully written with stunning prose. I think that Vuong's way of jumping timelines and coming back to previously finished stories was really interesting, yet really well done. I don't think many people could achieve that fluidity easily. I didn't, however, really like the animal abuse that was depicted really graphically. It was difficult to listen to for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer