A review by anna_whitehead11
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

challenging emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.75

 Beautiful, lyrical prose - at times slipping into poetry - as the narrator, ‘Little Dog’, writes a letter to his illiterate mother, telling his coming-of-age-story as he figures out what it means to grow up as a Vietnamese immigrant in Hartford, Connecticut - and explores his homosexuality. At times difficult to read as it discusses (occasionally quite graphically) the violence and trauma of the Vietnam War, and its lasting intergenerational impact, but overall sensitive and revealing. 

An important read to understand the Vietnamese immigrant experience in modern America - which raises interesting points of comparison to Cecile Pin’s Wandering Souls, in turn set in Britain. It very occasionally feels too rhetorical and creative-writing-student-y - perhaps heightened by the one-sided nature of the letter, which we know his mother will not be able to read - but this doesn’t detract from the overall force of the work. 
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