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

5.0

i absolutely adored this novel. powerfully poignant and interspersed with beautiful poetic verses, it details the story of a gay vietnamese man and his troubled relationship with his mother, who has been traumatised from the war back home. it's a story of a boy who looks back into his childhood and understands with his acquired adult wisdom about the sacrifices that his mother and grandmother made for him and attempts to see his relationship with her in a more sober and understanding light. exploring themes relating to sexuality, being vietnamese in the u.s., and the vietnamese immigrant experience, ocean vuong weaves together a tragically moving story of a boy who pours his heart out into a letter that will forever be unopened.