Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

5 reviews

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.25

I think the poetry was well-written but some of the topic matter wasn’t really for me. I went in thinking this was more of a series of poems tying into family struggles and grief but I found a lot of it lewd and about other things. That’s fine but just not what I expected.

I wish I read this after On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous instead

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

moviemagus's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Ocean Vuong's poetry digs into your flesh. It is like acid mixed with the smell of spring flowers. Hurts like breathing underwater.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Grief, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, and War

Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

Vuong plays around with different styles and formats. This book deals with many difficult topics, but is a solid poetry book. I can see why other people like it so much. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

gabbygarcia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I have a lot of contradictory feelings about this book of poetry. I should say first that I do not think it is for me, but I know there are many out there who would enjoy this style of poetry and the content.

On nearly every page I went back and forth between loving and deeply disliking this book. At times I think it takes itself too seriously, especially in the first half (the second half is stronger, in my opinion). I did enjoy how the whole book felt like one long poem--the themes and verses often spilled into one another, complementing each other in thoughtful ways. However, some of the poems discussed too many things and could have been edited for clarity. They overflowed with so many images that it was hard to keep track of the main subjects. I also found myself frustrated with the way he wrote about women. I can't quite pinpoint why it made me so uncomfortable, but it did.

In his defense, Vuong is a master at crafting perfect lines--though they did not necessarily make whole poems great. Despite that, there are a lot of lines I will be coming back to for a long time, like:

Dear god, if you are a season, let it be the one I passed through / to get here ("Notebook Fragments" was excellent, one of my favorites from the collection)

and:
Know that I never chose/ which way the seasons turned. That it was always October/ in my throat/ & you: every leaf/ refusing to rust

and:
My son, tell them/ the body is a blade that sharpens/ by cutting

and:
Ocean. Ocean--/ get up. The most beautiful part of your body/ is where it's headed. & remember,/ loneliness is still time spent/ with the world.

and:
Red is only black remembering.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Homophobia, Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Racism

skudiklier's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is one of the best poetry collections I've ever read. Vuong writes absolutely stunningly--I don't think I've ever read a poem of his I didn't love. His writings about his father hit me the hardest. I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes poetry at all, and maybe even anyone who doesn't. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, and Miscarriage

Minor: Sexual assault