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A review by book_concierge
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
4.0
Digital audiobook read by the author
3.5*** (rounded up)
A young Vietnamese man, now living in America, writes a letter to his mother who cannot read. In it he relates a short family history –his grandmother, mother and himself – and pours his heart out to the woman he calls both a mother and a monster. He tells of his grandmother Lan’s life as a sex worker during the Vietnam War, which resulted in her pregnancy. Her daughter, Rose, named for a flower, later gave birth to a son, whom they call “Little Dog” hoping to trick demon spirits who might otherwise harm a cherished child. They come to America full of hope, but meet with harsh reality: language barriers, poverty, and discrimination.
Vuong uses a nonlinear storyline but weaves an intricate tapestry from Vietnam to Connecticut, incorporating his thoughts on war, racism, drugs, love, and culture. The author is a poet, and this novel has the ethereal feel of poetry, with some passages so beautiful as to take my breath away, and others so raw with pain as to make me wince, even cringe.
Vuong narrates the audiobook himself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it.
3.5*** (rounded up)
A young Vietnamese man, now living in America, writes a letter to his mother who cannot read. In it he relates a short family history –his grandmother, mother and himself – and pours his heart out to the woman he calls both a mother and a monster. He tells of his grandmother Lan’s life as a sex worker during the Vietnam War, which resulted in her pregnancy. Her daughter, Rose, named for a flower, later gave birth to a son, whom they call “Little Dog” hoping to trick demon spirits who might otherwise harm a cherished child. They come to America full of hope, but meet with harsh reality: language barriers, poverty, and discrimination.
Vuong uses a nonlinear storyline but weaves an intricate tapestry from Vietnam to Connecticut, incorporating his thoughts on war, racism, drugs, love, and culture. The author is a poet, and this novel has the ethereal feel of poetry, with some passages so beautiful as to take my breath away, and others so raw with pain as to make me wince, even cringe.
Vuong narrates the audiobook himself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it.