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

dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Vuong's book is much more of a meditative collection of poems than a story with a middle beginning or end, openly breaking the confines or genre. It goes nowhere, simply because it does not want to. Go into it expecting to read a letter, not an adventure, as it doesn't end with a conclusion, as much as a full stop.

No one wanted to like this book more than I, and I can't say I didn't, but be warned that there is so much animal cruelty, and in pretty graphic detail. Like it's a full-on motif.
I have never had so much fun underlining and annotating, but that's mainly where the fun begins and ends. The amount of breathtaking absolutely gorgeous lines in this is endless, and I weep at both the beauty, and for those who do not care for literature. Because they are missing out.

(It's been a few months now, and what I've noticed is how much I miss reading it. I miss the characters, the style, the story. The sum is definetly better than its parts.)
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