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A review by shivani_n
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
“You once told me that the human eye is god's loneliest creation. How so much of the world passes through the pupil and still it holds nothing. The eye, alone in its socket, doesn't even know there's another one, just like it, an inch away, just as hungry, as empty.”
“Is that what art is? To be touched thinking what we feel is ours when, in the end, it was someone else, in longing, who finds us?”
for the first 50 pages of the novel i wasn't really feeling it, but then it really picked up. ocean vuong's writing style is so elegant; it's digestible but profound and meaningful at the same time. my favourite aspect of it is his descriptions because they are so vivid like i can literally see and hear all of the sensory things he describes throughout the book. i really enjoyed reading about all his experiences of self discovery and how they shaped him as a person. i like the way it felt like a very intimate and personal story of his life while also touching on bigger issues such as race, class, masculinity, the american dream, abuse, and addiction; he handled all of it with such grace and compassion. overall, this is a beautiful coming of age story and i would recommend if you want something emotional yet easy to read.
“Is that what art is? To be touched thinking what we feel is ours when, in the end, it was someone else, in longing, who finds us?”
for the first 50 pages of the novel i wasn't really feeling it, but then it really picked up. ocean vuong's writing style is so elegant; it's digestible but profound and meaningful at the same time. my favourite aspect of it is his descriptions because they are so vivid like i can literally see and hear all of the sensory things he describes throughout the book. i really enjoyed reading about all his experiences of self discovery and how they shaped him as a person. i like the way it felt like a very intimate and personal story of his life while also touching on bigger issues such as race, class, masculinity, the american dream, abuse, and addiction; he handled all of it with such grace and compassion. overall, this is a beautiful coming of age story and i would recommend if you want something emotional yet easy to read.