On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
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- Create Date：2021-03-29 14:18:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ocean Vuong
- ISBN：1529110688
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Summary
Brilliant， heartbreaking and highly original， Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family， and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling。
This is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read。 Written when the speaker， Little Dog， is in his late twenties， the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born。 It tells of Vietnam， of the lasting impact of war， and of his family's struggle to forge a new future。 And it serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog's life his mother has never known - episodes of bewilderment， fear and passion - all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation。
This is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read。 Written when the speaker， Little Dog， is in his late twenties， the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born。 It tells of Vietnam， of the lasting impact of war， and of his family's struggle to forge a new future。 And it serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog's life his mother has never known - episodes of bewilderment， fear and passion - all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation。
Reviews
Tms
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DNF
masterlyreads
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“To be gorgeous， you must first be seen， but to be seen allows you to be hunted。” I wanted to love this book， but ultimately I just like it。 Vuong’s writing is raw and beautiful。 I don’t typically annotate but I annotated this novel， highlighting sentences and phrases I loved dearly or found broke me a bit。 With that being said， I wasn’t sure where this was going。 I see the importance of this novel， immigration， being a product of war， homophobia， mental illness， drug abuse。 All very important t “To be gorgeous， you must first be seen， but to be seen allows you to be hunted。” I wanted to love this book， but ultimately I just like it。 Vuong’s writing is raw and beautiful。 I don’t typically annotate but I annotated this novel， highlighting sentences and phrases I loved dearly or found broke me a bit。 With that being said， I wasn’t sure where this was going。 I see the importance of this novel， immigration， being a product of war， homophobia， mental illness， drug abuse。 All very important to discuss， all very important to highlight。 Personally， I couldn’t connect to this。 Overall， I enjoyed this read and it was definitely a fast one for me！ I will definitely be checking out Vuong’s poetry in the near future。 I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this。 。。。more
Chad
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I read numerous authors because I admire the precision of their language and the unique forms they use to shape this language and tell their stories。 Cormac McCarthy’s The Border Trilogy， Anthony Doerr’s short stories， Faulkner， early Michael Cunningham novels immediately come to mind。 Ocean Vuong’s 2019 novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous， however， is the only novel I’ve experienced that reads as a poem （and one I remember the way I remember poetry） but uses a novel’s trappings to tell a haun I read numerous authors because I admire the precision of their language and the unique forms they use to shape this language and tell their stories。 Cormac McCarthy’s The Border Trilogy， Anthony Doerr’s short stories， Faulkner， early Michael Cunningham novels immediately come to mind。 Ocean Vuong’s 2019 novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous， however， is the only novel I’ve experienced that reads as a poem （and one I remember the way I remember poetry） but uses a novel’s trappings to tell a haunting， unforgettable narrative。 Vuong’s remarkable accomplishment isn’t a novel with poetic images but rather a poem that’s written as an epistolary novel。 Little Dog， a young， queer Vietnamese-American man， is writing a letter to Rose， his mother。 Rose is illiterate， may or may not still be alive， and， Little Dog tells us， will unlikely read the letter。 She also physically abused Little Dog from ages four–fourteen。Little Dog describes himself in the novel’s first few pages， introducing himself both to his mother and to readers: “I am twenty-eight years old， 5ft 4 in tall， 112 lbs。 I am handsome at exactly three angles and deadly from everywhere else。 I am writing to you from inside a body that used to be yours。 Which is to say， I am writing as a son。” Vyong tells his story with multiple levels of emotional intelligence and observation。 As readers， we’re privy to an intimate conversation between Little Dog and his mother。 I sometimes felt embarrassed， almost ashamed， regarding Little Dog’s revelations， and I also felt honored that Little Dog trusted me， a stranger， to serve as witness。This internal conflict—wanting to look away but knowing to do so would be a violation of the narrator’s trust—creates a formidable bond between narrator and reader。 This is one of the novel’s numerous brilliances。 On one layer， Little Dog is writing about his individual experience， a harrowing chronicle of abuse， and a life where love is found only after everything surrounding it has been burned， stripped to its most fundamental level。 The story not so much unfolds as unstacks， the way you might dismantle a Matryoshka doll。 Yes， Little Dog’s story is heartbreaking and extremely personal， but on another， broader level we’re reading about the experiences of Asian American immigrants， the methamphetamine crisis and the way it scourges America’s youth， specifically kids from low-income families。 We’re reading about child abuse， mental health challenges， and teenage queer love。 Poetry is the only way to tell Little Dog’s story。 Only when we start to connect the images is the fuller narrative and its generous， complex emotional core revealed to us。 As Little Dog writes at the end of the novel， “I remember thinking everyone I ever loved was a single black dot on a bright page。 I remember drawing a line from one dot to another with a name on each one until I ended with a family tree that looked more like a barbed-wire fence。”Images of war and violence are threaded throughout the novel。 Little Dog’s grandmother and mother both fled the epicenter of war， a ravaged Vietman。 “Ma，” Little Dog writes to Rose， “to speak in our mother tongue is to speak only partially in Vietnamese， but entirely in war。” Violence and love also exist on simultaneous planes throughout Little Dog’s early life。 Lan， his grandmother， and Rose act out good protector/bad protector roles。 Or perhaps unsuccessful protector （Lan）/abusive protector （Rose） is more apt。 Little Dog’s relationship with Trevor， a boy Little Dog meets at a tobacco farm outside Hartford， is described with visceral details。 Vuong portrays an unsettling topography of the body， one where happiness is fleeting， and pleasure is realized through physical pain。 The boys love each other， but in this landscape of racism， poverty， and drug abuse， love is a kernel surrounded by a hard， bitter shell。 Little Dog states， “To arrive at love， then， is to arrive through obliteration。 Eviscerate me， we mean to say， and I’ll tell you the truth…。Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you’ve been ruined。” And wars， by their nature， speak to the uncertainty of existence: “Maybe we look into mirrors not merely to seek beauty， regardless how illusive， but to make sure， despite the facts， that we are still here。 That the hunted body we move in has not yet been annihilated， scraped out。” Vuong often returns to images of insects and animals。 “Monkeys， moose， cows， dogs， butterflies， buffaloes。 What we would give to have the ruined lives of animals tell a human story—when our lives are in themselves the story of animals。” As we continue to examine the novel’s layers， we see that the lives Vuong explores are the lives of survivors。 There is forgiveness and compassion in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous， but not without accountability。 To paraphrase Vuong， if we want to understand what we’ve become to each other， we must see what we’ve done to each other。 。。。more
Sydney
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5/5。 Soared through this one。 Absolutely beautiful and heart-wrenching。
Sasha Nelson
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The writing was stunningly beautiful writing and the plot was completely heart wrenching。 I cannot say enough about Vuoung's prose， you can really tell he's a poet， it was， for lack of a better word， gorgeous。 That being said， the "plot" itself was so deeply depressing I had a really hard time picking this one up after putting it down - it was exceedingly heavy。 This really needs to be ready in 2-3 sessions max， like a poem and not a novel。 I didn't have the ability to read it that way， which is The writing was stunningly beautiful writing and the plot was completely heart wrenching。 I cannot say enough about Vuoung's prose， you can really tell he's a poet， it was， for lack of a better word， gorgeous。 That being said， the "plot" itself was so deeply depressing I had a really hard time picking this one up after putting it down - it was exceedingly heavy。 This really needs to be ready in 2-3 sessions max， like a poem and not a novel。 I didn't have the ability to read it that way， which is why it took me so long to get through it。 By all means， do read it， but just know what you're in for。 。。。more
Victoria Bannon
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This book is a kaleidoscope of memories， each appearing and disappearing into one another。 It’s a visceral book （beware the monkey parts！）， and you’ll undoubtedly find something to identify with。 （For me， it was the parts about Lan。） Even if you don’t find a thing to identify with， it’s worth the read anyway。
Brian
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Poetry just below the surface The fusion of poetry and prose was the perfect medium to convey the complexities of the intersectionality Vietnam， immigration， queerness， the lost generation due to OxyContin，and impermanence。
Sofia De Ceglie
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one of the “i don’t even know what to say” books。 this is one of the most stunning things i’ve read all year。 wow。
Regi
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The writing of this novel is graceful and elegant and really drew me in。
Îshta
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cit。 “Siamo nati dalla bellezza。 Non permettere a nessuno di confonderci con i frutti della violenza”Un’autobiografia dell’autore vietnamita dalle tematiche forti。 Cresciuto negli anni ‘80 in America， da una famiglia composta esclusivamente da donne che hanno subito molti traumi durante la guerra del Vietnam。 Emigrati in cerca di una nuova vita， si scontreranno con diverse problematiche come le droghe， la discriminazione， la violenza e la povertà che hanno coinvolto l’America e i giovani di queg cit。 “Siamo nati dalla bellezza。 Non permettere a nessuno di confonderci con i frutti della violenza”Un’autobiografia dell’autore vietnamita dalle tematiche forti。 Cresciuto negli anni ‘80 in America， da una famiglia composta esclusivamente da donne che hanno subito molti traumi durante la guerra del Vietnam。 Emigrati in cerca di una nuova vita， si scontreranno con diverse problematiche come le droghe， la discriminazione， la violenza e la povertà che hanno coinvolto l’America e i giovani di quegli anni， mostrandoci con una grande sensibilità uno spaccato di vita。 La narrazione non è lineare， ma è più un diario che ci mostra sprazzi di vita dell’autore in un arco di vita molto ampio。 cit。 “Per essere bellissimi e risplendere su questa terra， prima qualcuno deve vederci， ma essere visti significa essere prede” 。。。more
Gina Christo
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Gorgeous prose， but sometimes I lost the thread。 I thought the depiction of young gay love was unique and captivating。 I recommend listening to this book， it helped me feel the rhythm of his narration。
Alberto Soragni
，
Un bellissimo libro letto nel momento sbagliato
G。
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beautiful words and meanings。 i look forward to coming back to this book when i’m older。 i like the discussions around asian-american identity and immigrant identity。 almost all immigrant & asian-american stories touch on family， it’s an integral part of our experience。 there is a similar tone with these novels， one of melancholy and yearning。 you have to be in a certain mood to digest these stories， especially if they hit close to home for you like they do for me。 i’m glad i read it and i defin beautiful words and meanings。 i look forward to coming back to this book when i’m older。 i like the discussions around asian-american identity and immigrant identity。 almost all immigrant & asian-american stories touch on family， it’s an integral part of our experience。 there is a similar tone with these novels， one of melancholy and yearning。 you have to be in a certain mood to digest these stories， especially if they hit close to home for you like they do for me。 i’m glad i read it and i definitely want this book as a physical copy。 there’s so many gorgeous passages and i cant wait to pry it open in a physical copy one day and read a passage or two whenever i want to be inspired。 Ocean wields his words like a gust of wind that you as a reader are taken by and cant help but follow because you know it’ll lead you to an end where you’ll feel better than you did before。 most times than not， that feeling is awe because you realize by the end， that he was able to describe things， many of which are random， so beautifully and with plenty of meaning。 。。。more
Percy
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"It's in these moments， next to you， that I envy words for doing what we can never do - how they can tell all of themselves simply by standing still， simply by being。 Imagine I could lie down beside you and my whole body， every cell， radiates a clear， singular meaning， not so much a writer as a word pressed down beside you。"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a brilliant novel。 Vuong navigates the space between poetry and prose effortlessly， crafting a narrative that moves along while also callin "It's in these moments， next to you， that I envy words for doing what we can never do - how they can tell all of themselves simply by standing still， simply by being。 Imagine I could lie down beside you and my whole body， every cell， radiates a clear， singular meaning， not so much a writer as a word pressed down beside you。"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a brilliant novel。 Vuong navigates the space between poetry and prose effortlessly， crafting a narrative that moves along while also calling on us to reflect， reread， and sit with passages。 After finishing this book， I only wish I could have the experience of reading it for the first time again。 。。。more
Addie Bushnell
，
This was of course a very beautiful book， with a lot of lovely， lyrical passages and a very heartfelt and powerful familial narrative。 A theme of this book that I loved was the important of names， and how a name can be more than what it is on the surface。 Ocean Vuong has a talent for recognizing the layers in the English language - he uses a rhetorical technique that I would call wordplay， if it was funny。 But in his hands， it’s generally heartbreaking or “deep”， so wordplay isn’t quite the righ This was of course a very beautiful book， with a lot of lovely， lyrical passages and a very heartfelt and powerful familial narrative。 A theme of this book that I loved was the important of names， and how a name can be more than what it is on the surface。 Ocean Vuong has a talent for recognizing the layers in the English language - he uses a rhetorical technique that I would call wordplay， if it was funny。 But in his hands， it’s generally heartbreaking or “deep”， so wordplay isn’t quite the right word， I suppose。 Also， I was impressed and moved by the detail， love， and care he gave to telling the stories of his family （his mother， grandmother， and grandfather） alongside his own。 What an incredible portrait of a family。Every so often， some of his metaphors or lyrical sentences seemed less genuine than others， as if he was trying to fill up the spaces in this memoir with as many beautiful words as possible， when just the stark reality of his story would have sufficed。 Sometimes they felt forced， or fell a bit flat。 However， I did listen to this on audio and admit that I may have struggled more with the language because of this - I didn’t have the ability to pore over the text when I came across a passage I didn’t quite “get”。 I also noticed， possibly because of the audiobook， I had some trouble with timelines。This book was very sad， very reflective， very personal。 It handles a lot of sensitive subjects with grace and empathy and accuracy。 It also completely honors the title， telling the story of a small group of people， who were， or still are， during their brief time on earth， a manifestation of beauty， of gorgeousness。 。。。more
Ava Newsom
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if your thinking about reading this book， just do it。 even if your not thinking about reading it， DO IT。 for sure my new favorite book。
Amanda
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This feels like a heart spilled out on paper。 Intimate stories from a son， a mother， and a grandmother are stitched together so lovingly and earnestly through atmospheric prose that beautifully conveys emotions if not a direct narrative， which is the only area in which I found this novel lacking。
Eduardo Bello
，
They are locked in boxes the size of themselves。 A body-box， like a coffin， but alive， like a home。 The children， the veal， they stand very still because tenderness depends on how little the world touches you。 To stay tender， the weight of your life cannot lean on your bones。I am lacking words to describe the beauty and rawness of this book。 It’s been on my to-read list for a while and I am glad I finally picked it up。 I just couldn’t stop reading。 Straight to my favorite reads of all times。PS: They are locked in boxes the size of themselves。 A body-box， like a coffin， but alive， like a home。 The children， the veal， they stand very still because tenderness depends on how little the world touches you。 To stay tender， the weight of your life cannot lean on your bones。I am lacking words to describe the beauty and rawness of this book。 It’s been on my to-read list for a while and I am glad I finally picked it up。 I just couldn’t stop reading。 Straight to my favorite reads of all times。PS: Ocean reads the Audible version and it adds even more beauty and pain to it （as if such thing was possible）。 。。。more
xq
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like reading poetry。 beautiful， but sad。
Hannah
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This was such a fantastic book。 I absolutely loved it！ I read the German translation， but I definitely want to read the original version as well some time。 Ocean Vuong has a beautiful writing style and way with words。 I watched a few of his interviews after finishing this book and it was incredibly interesting。 I would absolutely recommend this book！
JR
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"They say nothing lasts forever but they're just scared it will last longer than they can love it。" "They say nothing lasts forever but they're just scared it will last longer than they can love it。" 。。。more
Lauren Holmes
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The writing in this novel is beautiful and poetic but， perhaps for this reason， it seemed disjointed and I found it difficult to get into。 3。5/5
Josephine Greenland
，
This book is truly original in every word on every page。 Vuong has an uncanny ability to turn words inside out and wring out a meaning from them you'd never have expected before， and he does it in a flippant， play ful way that is totally effortless。 A powerful debut that is as much poetry as it is prose。 Highly recommend。 This book is truly original in every word on every page。 Vuong has an uncanny ability to turn words inside out and wring out a meaning from them you'd never have expected before， and he does it in a flippant， play ful way that is totally effortless。 A powerful debut that is as much poetry as it is prose。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Kristina
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Review coming soon
Åsa Palmborg
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Den här boken var bra， men tyvärr lyssnade jag på den som ljudbok och det passade den inte alls för。 Den är poetisk， med ett vackert språk och fin känsla， men den har inte så mycket handling så det blir lätt att tappa bort sig om man är tankspridd som jag。 Borde förmodligen ha läst den på originalspråk också。 Får se om jag läser om den。
Sidsel Nørgaard-Larsen
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En sprogligt mesterlig bog。 Sproget er dog - efter min mening - mere fængende end selve fortællingen。
Madalina Banuta
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"I'm not telling you a story so much as a shipwreck - the pieces floating。" - indeed you are， Mr Vuong。。。what a mess！ "I'm not telling you a story so much as a shipwreck - the pieces floating。" - indeed you are， Mr Vuong。。。what a mess！ 。。。more
Phoebe
，
I have never read anything like this before， when I first started reading I was shocked by how beautifully written it was - it actually inspired me to try and write something creatively myself which I hadn’t tried since school。 Ocean Vuong put some indescribable events and feelings seemingly effortlessly into words， phrases and sentences which just fell into place in the most perfect way。 I lapped up the first half， carried by the writing and intrigue as to how the story would develop。 Unfortuna I have never read anything like this before， when I first started reading I was shocked by how beautifully written it was - it actually inspired me to try and write something creatively myself which I hadn’t tried since school。 Ocean Vuong put some indescribable events and feelings seemingly effortlessly into words， phrases and sentences which just fell into place in the most perfect way。 I lapped up the first half， carried by the writing and intrigue as to how the story would develop。 Unfortunately the reading experience slowed down for me in the second half， hence the 4 stars， but I would still absolutely recommend this。 。。。more
kiera
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“Hey，” he said， half-asleep， “what were you before you met me？”“I think I was drowning。”A pause。“And what are you now？” he whispered， sinking。I thought for a second。 “Water。”
Jordan
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