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

2.0

Way too sad! I read this novel within a few days, but only because I wanted to finish it as soon as possible and to see if I might redeem itself by pulling the story neatly together at the end. It is far from neat. As the narrator once states, it is more of a shipwreck than a story. It deserves a couple of stars for the writing and the themes, maybe 2 or 2.5 stars. But the plot is much too fragmented and, most of all, sad. Every event is overshadowed by crushing sadness. The title is misleading. I would have expected a message like “life is beautiful and must be appreciated because is it so short and precious”, but the lives of all the characters are miserable and cruel. If the title had been “On Earth We’re Briefly Tragic”, it would have been an appropriate warning. There is nothing in this book to feel good about. It is as if the beautiful, joyful, carefree, light, random moments had been filtered out to leave only the worst sides of life. Strangely, the narrator covers his story of the first 20 years of life in this way, but the “letter” was written when he was 28. All I can do is hope that his experiences were light, healing, and joyous in those 8 years.