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miaaa_lenaaa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
‘only the future revisits the past.’
‘"Everything good is somewhere else”’
‘To destroy a people, then, is to set them back in time.’
‘You once told me that memory is a choice. But if you were god, you'd know it's a flood.’
‘I remember it all because how can you forget anything about the day you first found yourself beautiful?’
‘We were exchanging truths, I realized, which is to say, we were cutting one another.’
‘Let me tie my shadow to your feet and call it friendship’
‘Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.’
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Car accident, Blood, Mental illness, Homophobia, War, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
porridgegirl'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
4.5
after an entire book about the complicated relationship the main character, little dog, has had with his mother, it's very human on the final few pages there is a passage about how little dog wishes his mother could be treated adequately in her life. because his character is really true to reality; we can hate or love our mothers for what they have done, but it is also by circumstance that they act the way they do.
this book covers so much interesting material: the social turmoil and consequences of the wars in vietnam, race, homosexuality, and the american dream through an immigrant's lense. every page of this book i was deeply emotional and/or heavily interested in the main character's story; every page has its amazing quote.
the best thing about this book is the way it handles family and the complexity of family. we have a natural bond with our family that is unlike any other relationship, yet our family can be our bullies and obstacles, whether they are the reason we flee from their homes or feel inadequate with ourselves.
now for the reasons it did not get 5 stars:
1. the character of trevor
i understand that trevor is little dog's first romance, so his character is supposed to be immature and irrational especially where the author tackles internalized homophobia and the social critiques of the "war against drugs", but i could not get along with his character especially since he is the main romantic interest centering the book. did i have a few moments at first where i liked him, of course, but most of the time i was begrudgingly rooting for little dog as trevor proceeded to detriment him through blatant homophobia and masculine resentment.
and it wasn't just that trevor had blatant flaws; it was also that trevor had a lack of personality besides being contradictory in being an all-american white trash trailer park teenager while liking feminine things like sunflowers and baby cows. because that's literally all we know him by! in the passage where little dog reflects on all of the memories and ideas he associated with trevor, he basically keeps just saying "american gun-hauling teen with a horrible dad" and "sunflowers". i just generally wish trevor was a a little more agreeable and deep as a character.
2. the poeticism
this is also a big pro in the book, but sometimes the passages in the book felt more like singular poems than a novel. it felt like at certain points the author was trying to show off his use of metaphor, symbolism, and language rather than convey the main themes and developments of the novel. especially the table metaphor at the end of the book, it felt as if the table was definitely about family principles and heritage but maybe also a bit about functioning relationships.
3. the small details that should have been expanded
okay, i wish there was more history of little dog's mom rather than just lan, and probably the most interesting part of the story was the interracial communities in little dog's relationship with junior and their bonds. many parts of the story could have been explored much more and i would have loved to read it.
Graphic: War, Death, Drug use, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Racism, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Genocide and Gore
t0rixoxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
on earth we're briefly gorgeous is about a gay, vietnamese-american and the letters he writes to his mother. these "letters" describe different parts of his life with her and other people in his life, such as his grandmother, lan, and his lover, trevor. through these letters we get a beautiful look on how the vietnam war affected his family.
definitely a 5 star book, ocean vuong's words touch a deep part inside of me.
Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Hate crime, and Vomit
carmenlavillaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Addiction, Gore, and Alcohol
maxthebeetlesheep's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Grief, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Blood, Cancer, and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Medical content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, and Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
janineledet'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Racism, Grief, Gore, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, War, Pregnancy, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abortion
violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Addiction, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gore, Abandonment, Abortion, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, War, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
lostinafilmscene's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia, Abortion, and Xenophobia
Minor: Racial slurs
natgoe'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
Graphic: Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, War, Mental illness, Addiction, Racism, Abortion, and Gore
grcompain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Blood, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Abortion, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Racism