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

emotional reflective slow-paced

5.0

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is one of the best books I have read so far. The book just stole my heart and crushed it into a million pieces. 

The book portrayed the experience and trauma encompassing across three generations and how these mold them into who they are today. The protagonist, Little Dog, writes a letter to his mother. Telling her the story of his childhood, his coming of age, and how Little Dog discovers who he is. 

The novel is just exquisite. The writing style is pristine and so so poetic. I loved every bit of it. While it was a bit hard to get into since the flow is fragmented and jumps from memory to memory. After the first 30 pages, I finally understood it. Because it’s a letter for Little Dog’s mom, for the reader to understand the context of what Little Dog is saying, we have to jump from memory to memory. The author giving us the context of where his references are coming from. Then we come to understand its significance to their family, their experiences, and their identities. 

This book had me crying so much and it just affected me so much. It’s so beautifully written and I just cannot wrap my head around all the emotions this book just got out of me. 

I understand the complex emotions Little Dog is feeling towards his mother. You love them becuase they raised you, nurtured you and took care of you. But end up hating them for all the pain they caused as a response to the things they experienced before. Afterwards, you would just feel guilt, because you are afforded the privilege you have at the expense of their childhood, at THEIR expense. You still feel angry, but not towards your parents, but anger towards the world and everyone who made them who they are. Hurt, anger, love. It’s a painful cycle. 

While I didn’t experience what Little Dog went through, I just feel for him so much being in such a complicated relationship with my parents as well. I empathized and I felt seen. 

The author managed to put this complex feeling into words. You know you don’t deserve all this crap, but so did your parents. So you end up forgiving. End up loving them harder. I’m not condoning their mistake, and I would never. What I’m saying is this feeling is just so real and so hard to deal with. And the author beautifully conveyed it through this novel.

The ending really got to me because I want my own mother to wake up in a different world too. A world where she got to be the woman she was destined to be, even if it means that in that life she would never have me. As long as she doesn’t suffer, it would have been worth it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings