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jarif_hasan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
leoniekross'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? N/A
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, War, Car accident, Sexual violence, Racism, Grief, Cancer, Addiction, Rape, Terminal illness, Violence, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, and Cancer
_forestofpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There was more of that near the end with pages and pages of singular lines that read like shower thoughts instead of letters to his mother. Also if he’s writing letters to his mother why would he write her about extremely sexually explicit times with a closeted boy? To each their own, but I doubt his mother would have wanted to read that even if she could, especially considering her homophobia. Good for him for opening up so deeply and allowing strangers to see the most vulnerable cracks like that, but to specifically tailor that for your mother seems strange to me. I kept feeling, especially toward the end as though it should have been a poetry collection not a novel. The early parts felt more like an essay collection, or a literary novel (it tittered between the two often) but toward the end it really lost it’s sense of direction. I just felt disjointed reading it, especially that last 3rd of the book. I do love Ocean Vuong's prose and will be picking up his poetry collections in the future.
Graphic: Bullying, Addiction, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion, Sexual violence, Death, and Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
steffi_jo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
killeenm's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Rape, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Child abuse, War, Murder, Abortion, Violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Excrement, Vomit, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Addiction
anneliemn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Animal death, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and War
Minor: War
novella42'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
5.0
His author-read audiobook performance of this powerful book was nothing short of magnificent.
A queer Vietnamese American man writes a letter to his mother, a survivor of the Vietnam War, who cannot read. His love for her, and hers for him, is ferocious and beautiful beyond words. Vuong is a poet, but strangely, I find his novel more compelling than his poetry. Tons of content warnings, to the degree I don't know when I will ever feel mentally resilient enough in my own C-PTSD to re-read it in its entirety, but if you're in the mood for a good cry, I can't think of anything more cathartic.
Graphic: Hate crime, Chronic illness, Blood, Homophobia, Car accident, Misogyny, War, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual content, Animal death, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Cancer, Abortion, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Excrement, Cursing, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Gore, Pregnancy, Dementia, Suicide, Sexual assault, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Child death, Rape, Abandonment, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Body horror, Sexism, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Torture, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Adult/minor relationship, War, Confinement, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, and Murder
aprilinao'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, War, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Death, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, and Hate crime
dan_g110's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
bridgetbry's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Death, Addiction, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abortion and Homophobia