Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*Sometimes you are erased before you are given the choice of stating who you are.*
A book I really enjoyed. Vuong manages to grasp you and make you walk together through the story. While I was hesitant from the criticisms of the book, I am glad I decided to read it. Yes, it is quite evident that it is a story written by a poet, but, well, if you love poetry you will definitely have no problem with that. I particurarly enjoyed the storytelling, the merge between the worlds of prose and poetry, and I would certainly want to read more.
My only "complaint" is that I would really like to learn more about the characters, especially those of the past, but I get that was not the exact point of this story. Nevertheless, it's a book I will definitely revisit sometime soon.
A book I really enjoyed. Vuong manages to grasp you and make you walk together through the story. While I was hesitant from the criticisms of the book, I am glad I decided to read it. Yes, it is quite evident that it is a story written by a poet, but, well, if you love poetry you will definitely have no problem with that. I particurarly enjoyed the storytelling, the merge between the worlds of prose and poetry, and I would certainly want to read more.
My only "complaint" is that I would really like to learn more about the characters, especially those of the past, but I get that was not the exact point of this story. Nevertheless, it's a book I will definitely revisit sometime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Addiction, Violence
Minor: Child abuse
keeping my mouth shut because everyone would just attack me
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a very raw, honest, personal, and intense novel following the story of Little Dog and his life, expressed in the form of letters shared to his Vietnamese mother, a woman who was affected deeply with the Vietnam War and becoming a refugee. The narrative is defined in moments and backstory, and there is so much humanity present in the moments Little Dog shares, from pain, alienation, fear, passion, and grief.
Vuong has an incredible background in writing poetry, carefully weaving words into abstract metaphors that compel the readers to think closely about what they represent. In this novel, Vuong continues to write with poetic soliliquies about his interactions with the world around him and the people he interacts with. Many of his paragraphs are defined by short sentances with cutting language that truly evoke some serious feelings of loss and pain. There is a highly central theme about the language Little Dog and Ma share, despite the language barrier as Ma doesn't know English, they have their own form of a language within the relationship that defines their household life. Because language, in this novel, is highly contextual to the social structures, there's a disconnect in what Little Dog and Ma truly wish to say to one another.
The presence of the effects of the wars, specifically the PTSD that Rose experiences, contributes to the multitude of violence that Little Dog experiences. In a sense, the war they were engulfed in never truly ends for them, and it permeates within the dynamic of their relationship. In the city they live in following the war, addiction is prevelant throughout the story across multiple characters, and it reflects on the opiod epidemic in America. Characters faced some of the gruesome effects of addiction, in part from coping from the conditions of their lives and the deliberate choices of the pharmaceutical industries. Violence finds itself in an innumerable amount of ways in this novel, and it truly takes a major amount of vulnerability to create a novel like this.
Vuong has an incredible background in writing poetry, carefully weaving words into abstract metaphors that compel the readers to think closely about what they represent. In this novel, Vuong continues to write with poetic soliliquies about his interactions with the world around him and the people he interacts with. Many of his paragraphs are defined by short sentances with cutting language that truly evoke some serious feelings of loss and pain. There is a highly central theme about the language Little Dog and Ma share, despite the language barrier as Ma doesn't know English, they have their own form of a language within the relationship that defines their household life. Because language, in this novel, is highly contextual to the social structures, there's a disconnect in what Little Dog and Ma truly wish to say to one another.
The presence of the effects of the wars, specifically the PTSD that Rose experiences, contributes to the multitude of violence that Little Dog experiences. In a sense, the war they were engulfed in never truly ends for them, and it permeates within the dynamic of their relationship. In the city they live in following the war, addiction is prevelant throughout the story across multiple characters, and it reflects on the opiod epidemic in America. Characters faced some of the gruesome effects of addiction, in part from coping from the conditions of their lives and the deliberate choices of the pharmaceutical industries. Violence finds itself in an innumerable amount of ways in this novel, and it truly takes a major amount of vulnerability to create a novel like this.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
Everything is so perfectly described. I really enjoyed how poetic the writing is.
“Sometimes, when I’m careless, I think survival is easy: you just keep moving forward with what you have, or what’s left of what you were given, until something changes—or you realize, at last, that you can change without disappearing, that all you had to do was wait until the storm passes you over and you find that—yes—your name is still attached to a living thing.“ On Earth is a novel by Ocean Vuong, who is a Vietnamese poet. The story is Little Dog’s (his nickname), who writes a cathartic letter to his mother. It is a journey of self discovery, coming out, and his first love. However, through flashbacks, the tumultuous lives of Little Dog’s mother and grandmother, who both have PTSD and other mental health problems, are also revealed. The author gently touches on the effects of the Vietnamese war on the country’s people and the their displacement from their homeland. He says, “Ma, to speak in our mother tongue is to speak only partially in Vietnamese, but entirely in war.” It’s beautifully written and inciteful, tragic and profound. It won’t be for everyone because of its poetic nature. Trigger warning for some graphic sex (not gratuitous). I give it 5 stars. #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #book #books #booklover #booknerdforlife #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookrec #bookreview #bookaddict #read #readmorebooks #readmore #reading #readingtime