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

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.0

This is a poetic love letter to the “fruits of violence” who “didn’t let the violence spoil the fruit.” In a beautiful and fluid way, Vuong tells the adolescence of a Vietnamese son and his illiterate mother. Told through poetry and anecdotes, Vuong doesn’t hold back the love and vitriol of the othered life in Hartford, Connecticut. It read like a dream sequence, grasping from moment to moment but always visceral. 
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