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

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

stunning. i give it five stars not because i find it's unblemished and out of this world, but because it encouraged me to think critically and still enjoy his (not-so-brief) gorgeous writing despite its flaws. i've found that many of the negative reviews criticized his prose and flowery "pretension," but i would have to disagree. as an asian myself, it was almost an instinct for me to completely empathize with the way he depicted the asian-american experience and not once did i perceive his choice of language as a tool utilized to romanticize or boast about his struggles. an incredible poet is what he is and he showed that through the many forms of symbolism throughout the story.

one of the things i found bothersome within the story was–what i felt–the lack of dimension we see in little dog. it might just be me, but i did feel like i wasn't able to thoroughly connect with him as a person completely. there was more monologue from either rose or lan than dialogue between ld and everyone and i just wish he would've spoken more, even if we were technically in his head the entire time.

although i previously mentioned i wasn't with those who found his writing too flowery, i do think there were some words strung together just for the sake of being said. however, i wouldn't say it was a pattern throughout the book and only a couple parts sprinkled all over. at one part of the book, i had to pause and write in the margin, "i don't exactly know what the purpose of these two pages are." that being said, i found his prose delightful and eye-opening as someone who's never read a novel written by a poet before. a lot of the book really touched me, and by the end i'd found myself numb. he has a way of grasping people with his words and i admire that about him.

my favorite thing about this is that every character–apart from trev's dad–was either likable but flawed, or unlikable but with redeeming qualities.
rose and little dog's relationship pained me because of all that abuse, but vuong did an amazing job of reasoning that behavior with rose's ptsd, while at the same time not justifying it. my attachment to trevor had only struck me when he died, and i didn't realize how much i'd found myself to like him despite his awful behavior towards ld; because although that's not a partner anyone should be happy having, there were still times when he was tender, sweet, and openly cared about little dog. they were both so young and still discovering themselves, and trevor hated himself so much that each time he said the wrong thing, i was overtaken by disappointment and pity.


i have so so so so so many favorite quotes from this book it's actually insane. i tabbed like, almost every page and now i'm almost out of tabs. you will pay for this, ocean vuong. my absolute favorite line that i think i'll remember for the rest of my life is:

When does a war end? When can I say your name and have it mean only your name and not what you left behind?
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