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hadestorm's review against another edition
4.0
“the stars were always what we knew
they were: the exit wounds
of every
misfired word.”
they were: the exit wounds
of every
misfired word.”
katmystery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
Beautiful, emotive wording and imagery. This deserves study; I want to take my favorite pieces apart and make sure I'm gleaning everything from it that I can.
dinasamimi's review
3.0
I prefer this to Time is a Mother, but Vuong is definitely not my bag. Beautiful but too esoteric, almost forced for me.
kirkspockreads's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Gun violence
michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
I'm definitely not any sort of poetry expert or even a seasoned reader of modern poetry, I just want to read all of Ocean Vuong's writing. Modern poetry walks on a thin line, the line between art on paper and a self-assured Instagram post. I think Ocean Vuong's poetry is the pinnacle of modern poetry, very deeply intimate to himself, themes of his sexuality, Vietnamese heritage and generational trauma. "Night Sky with Exit Wounds" is well-acclaimed, and one of Vuong's best works for a reason, its prose flows well and pours into the heart. Some quotes for the road!
“How sweet. That rain. How something that lives only to fall can be nothing but sweet.”
“& remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world.”
“Stars. Or rather, the drains of heaven – waiting. Little holes. Little centuries opening just enough for us to slip through.”
“Some nights you are the lighthouse / some nights the sea / what this means is that I don't know / desire other than the need / to be shattered & rebuilt”
“How sweet. That rain. How something that lives only to fall can be nothing but sweet.”
“& remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world.”
“Stars. Or rather, the drains of heaven – waiting. Little holes. Little centuries opening just enough for us to slip through.”
“Some nights you are the lighthouse / some nights the sea / what this means is that I don't know / desire other than the need / to be shattered & rebuilt”