Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Stunning and unflinching. I know this almost connected stream of consciousness writing might not appeal to everyone, but wow did it work for me. The way each short chapter bobs and weaves several ideas, or even completely disparate things, together was masterful. And the quality of the writing, the turns of phrase, it was all incredible. I'm not going to forget unicorns stamping in a graveyard for a long time.

I didn't know much of what this was about before picking it up, only that it was beautifully written, but reader beware. Read the trigger warnings as there are many and some passages were hard to read.

Content Warnings

poppyedition's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

carolinacortez's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

"what I left behind becomes exactly what I'm running toward -- like I'm part of a family."

Tengo que ser honesta, es un libro complicado de leer, no es una lectura que se lea en una sentada (aunque es cortito), es prácticamente poesía en forma de novela, entonces mi recomendación sería que se lea despacito, disfrutando cada palabra de Ocean.

"The wound is also the place where the skin reencounters itself, asking of each end, where have you been?
Where have we been, Ma?"

Cada párrafo, cada capítulo, cada oración, son hermosos, yo no podía dejar de decir 'no puede ser' de lo bello que está escrito y se ve el amor que hay detrás de cada palabra, que pensó la mejor manera de mostrar una parte de la vida de mucha gente.

"Ma. You once told me that memory is a choice. Buy if you were god, you know it's a flood."

En cuanto a las relaciones (tanto con su mamá, abuela, como con Trevor) están súper marcadas las diferencias, como la personalidad de little dog se moldaba según con quién estaba, según lo que la otra persona necesitará de el (muy mirrorball de su parte)

"You once told me that the human eye is god's loneliest creation. How so much of the world passes through the pupil and still it holds nothing"

En resumen es una novela preciosísima, solo hay que tener en cuenta que requiere su tiempo para digerirla bien.

Content Warnings

kenjanae_s's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The only reason that this book didn’t get five stars is because I simply wasn’t able to absorb it all. Genuinely one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read, and Vuong’s ability to articulate feelings around identity and life is unbelievable. I feel like this is the kind of book that I’ll have to reread every few years because I’ll be able to take something new from it each time. This book made me reflect a lot and I think I understand myself better now because of it. I would recommend it to everyone but potentially take a peak at content warnings.

Content Warnings

More...