Scan barcode
cultivatingshelves's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia
annabella's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Excrement
abookishmagpie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Racism
syllareads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
When does a war end? When can I say your name and have it mean only your name and not what you left behind?
My first 5-star read of the month goes to this beautiful and harrowing letter to a mother that cannot read - Ocean Vuong's first novel, after publishing several critically acclaimed poetry collections. In this rather short book, our main character, Little Dog (called so after a fashion of giving children "bad" names to scare away demons) recounts his life in America, growing up with a mother and grandmother both still ravaged by the war that tore apart their country, Vietnam.
Less than 300 pages are enough to capture the crushing reality of growing up in a foreign country, ostracised through both skin colour, language problems and later, through loving the "wrong" person, the "wrong" gender. The narrative is fleeting, broken up by thoughts the narrator associates with a certain topic, fleeting autumn leaves of a conversation he never quite managed to have with his mother that way, as he tries to explain to her what being an author is about. How words can explain things while also simultaneously rendering us mute in the process, a mothertongue torn apart by a mother not having gone to school because of the war.
Ma, to speak in our mother tongue is to speak only partially in Vietnamese, but entirely in war
The novel is sad (a word that does not even attempt to capture the raw emotions dripping from each line) and yet, somewhat, comforting - to know that, despite struggles, Little Dog is still alive, is still searching for things to make sense of, is still holding to his place in the world, however fragile it might be. It ends, after turmoil and death, with the laughter of his mother, the person who made him, who he is - the Rose that has risen.
I cannot recommend this book enough, though I hope people pay attention to the content warnings!
Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
bodiesinbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Vomit, and Car accident
callmeamelia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Homophobia
viccnthicc's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence
kayleyhyde's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Excrement, Vomit, and Car accident
miachalupa's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Car accident
ci_reads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
I was so touched in a variety of ways by this book that my first reaction couldn't be formed in complete sentences: gorgeous, raw, haunting, shocking. Vuong's writing is very poetic, and may be too flowery for some, but I was extremely impressed by the true mastery of language and I loved how he incorporated the main characters feelings about language too, since as a linguist who studies language acquisition, it is abundantly clear to me that language and language ideologies are so integral to immigrant experiences ("One does not "pass" in America, it seems, without English.")
The book is written as a letter from the main character, nicknamed Little Dog, to his illiterate mother (with the assumption that she'll never be able to read it, which is why some parts are so explicit). It tells his story as a Vietnamese-American growing up in rural America, as well as interweaving the experiences of his immigrant mother and grandmother, and his complicated relationship to both women. The content jumps around a lot, but I didn't ever feel really lost. Rather the the quick movement from one anecdote to another felt like a natural expression of how one story and emotion leads to others in your mind.
At times, the content was very graphic and I had to put the book down and sit with it for a while before continuing. But overall, this just lends to how present the emotion is in the writing. I had to double check that it was a work of fiction and not Vuong's auto-biography because it felt SO real. I do think that people will be divided on liking the writing style, but I do highly recommend this book as a wonderful exposition on immigrant experiences in America and the multi-generational effects of war.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent