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

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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

307 reviews

porridgegirl's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

"and you'll remember me, maybe."
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.

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aksmith92's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The setup: 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' is a unique novel, presented as a letter from a son to a mother who likely will never be able to read it due to her inability to read, especially in English. Our narrator, Little Dog, delves into his family's life - even before his birth - in Vietnam, during the infamous war there, and his own life, unearthing some traumas and revelations throughout his teenage years.

Much of the novel is about Little Dog's relationship with his mother, Rose, and her mother, Lan. There is an intricate discussion about their familial affairs and what it took the women to survive for Little Dog to be writing this letter. Then it's also a pseudo-love story about Little Dog and Trevor, a boy he works with on a tobacco farm during the summers. There is a little bit of grief, love, and hardship throughout this novel, and you can feel Ocean Vuong's poetic side coming out as he describes Little Dog's complicated life. Honestly, it's a story about nothing, yet about everything for someone like Little Dog. It intertwines addiction, violence, and a plethora of trauma into a novel that shares the story of a son and his mother.

What I loved: This book was a bit haunting AND lovely - somehow both, sometimes simultaneously (but not always). Vuong was a storyteller here. There were fantastic quotes and metaphors, and Vuong knew how to share philosophical thoughts and ideas. It was a sad story and one that encompasses survival. It takes a talented writer to make this type of art, and Vuong no doubt delivered a tremendous literary and contemporary fiction book. Honestly, at times, this felt SO real, to the point that it reminded me of a memoir (maybe that also had to do with a second person). Either way, you were submerged in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and felt all the feels.

What could have made it five stars: The common literary fiction conundrum - the intense effort to be overly profound. I felt this only initially, but Vuong seemed to try so hard. On page 4 or around there, one quote said something like, "We held nothing in our hands but our hands." And while I understood that it was likely that they were holding each other's hands, it just made me roll my eyes.

My only other qualm was the structure. I know what Vuong was doing, and Vuong knew what Vuong was doing, as mentioned in the novel a couple of times in the letter - Little Dog knew his writing was a bit all over the place. However, it took a lot of work to immerse myself in the story because of the back-and-forth timelines, especially between paragraphs with no apparent cadence. Part II had more narrative style than the others; otherwise, linking story pieces took a lot of work. It made it hard to connect with the plot itself.

Regardless, this book was undeniably moving, genuine, and wholehearted. The impactful pieces of the story, like the aftermath of war, an opioid crisis and addiction, and sexuality, were incredibly well done, and I think this book is an essential read. The structure makes it a bit challenging for a novel, but the storytelling is ultimately worth that brief confusion.

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astrofeldy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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? It's complicated

4.25

A poem? A novel? A memoir? Who’s to say. I’m not sure what just happened, but it was achingly beautiful. I think I liked it. I also couldn’t stand to finish it. A wholly unique experience. An Art.

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golden_hanne's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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rumoursfromlnez's review

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

"Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence - but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.”

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mdavis26's review against another edition

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4.5

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delliomellidom's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

It is a beautifully written book; I am in love with the author's prose. The story was non-linear, which made certain portions difficult to know where exactly they fit into the story.

I hadn't known there would be Graphic animal abuse and death. I could have done without it.

There is graphic sex, which was fine with me, but still a little unexpected.

This story is going to stick with me, and I don't doubt there are specific portions I'll be revisiting.

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