Scan barcode
A review by mel_sh
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
“When does a war end? When can I say your name and have it mean only your name and not what you left behind?”
the words are honestly failing me right now
this book transcends everything that we know about what a novel should look like and transforms it into one of the most gut wrenching and lyrical reading experiences i’ve ever had. as the daughter of two immigrants of war, there was so much that hit close to home for me and as someone who didn’t know much about the Vietnam war, there is so much that i was able to learn. there are so many quotes i could have included in here, this whole book was just an absolute masterpiece.
“I am writing because they told me to never start a sentence with because. But I wasn't trying to make a sentence—I was trying to break free. Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between the hunter and its prey.”
the words are honestly failing me right now
this book transcends everything that we know about what a novel should look like and transforms it into one of the most gut wrenching and lyrical reading experiences i’ve ever had. as the daughter of two immigrants of war, there was so much that hit close to home for me and as someone who didn’t know much about the Vietnam war, there is so much that i was able to learn. there are so many quotes i could have included in here, this whole book was just an absolute masterpiece.
“I am writing because they told me to never start a sentence with because. But I wasn't trying to make a sentence—I was trying to break free. Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between the hunter and its prey.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War