Scan barcode
srod910's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
‘only the future revisits the past.’
‘"Everything good is somewhere else”’
‘To destroy a people, then, is to set them back in time.’
‘You once told me that memory is a choice. But if you were god, you'd know it's a flood.’
‘I remember it all because how can you forget anything about the day you first found yourself beautiful?’
‘We were exchanging truths, I realized, which is to say, we were cutting one another.’
‘Let me tie my shadow to your feet and call it friendship’
‘Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.’
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Car accident, Blood, Mental illness, Homophobia, War, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
aksmith92's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Much of the novel is about Little Dog's relationship with his mother, Rose, and her mother, Lan. There is an intricate discussion about their familial affairs and what it took the women to survive for Little Dog to be writing this letter. Then it's also a pseudo-love story about Little Dog and Trevor, a boy he works with on a tobacco farm during the summers. There is a little bit of grief, love, and hardship throughout this novel, and you can feel Ocean Vuong's poetic side coming out as he describes Little Dog's complicated life. Honestly, it's a story about nothing, yet about everything for someone like Little Dog. It intertwines addiction, violence, and a plethora of trauma into a novel that shares the story of a son and his mother.
What I loved: This book was a bit haunting AND lovely - somehow both, sometimes simultaneously (but not always). Vuong was a storyteller here. There were fantastic quotes and metaphors, and Vuong knew how to share philosophical thoughts and ideas. It was a sad story and one that encompasses survival. It takes a talented writer to make this type of art, and Vuong no doubt delivered a tremendous literary and contemporary fiction book. Honestly, at times, this felt SO real, to the point that it reminded me of a memoir (maybe that also had to do with a second person). Either way, you were submerged in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and felt all the feels.
What could have made it five stars: The common literary fiction conundrum - the intense effort to be overly profound. I felt this only initially, but Vuong seemed to try so hard. On page 4 or around there, one quote said something like, "We held nothing in our hands but our hands." And while I understood that it was likely that they were holding each other's hands, it just made me roll my eyes.
My only other qualm was the structure. I know what Vuong was doing, and Vuong knew what Vuong was doing, as mentioned in the novel a couple of times in the letter - Little Dog knew his writing was a bit all over the place. However, it took a lot of work to immerse myself in the story because of the back-and-forth timelines, especially between paragraphs with no apparent cadence. Part II had more narrative style than the others; otherwise, linking story pieces took a lot of work. It made it hard to connect with the plot itself.
Regardless, this book was undeniably moving, genuine, and wholehearted. The impactful pieces of the story, like the aftermath of war, an opioid crisis and addiction, and sexuality, were incredibly well done, and I think this book is an essential read. The structure makes it a bit challenging for a novel, but the storytelling is ultimately worth that brief confusion.
Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, War, Physical abuse, Cancer, Child death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Abortion, Pregnancy, Racism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Death, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Mental illness, Sexual content, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Grief, Violence, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Drug use
Moderate: Car accident and Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Transphobia, and Sexism
Rape is not discussed as a rape, but it is assumed.ewillreadit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Racism, Hate crime, Grief, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Cancer, Addiction, and War
mdavis26's review
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Racism, Car accident, Mental illness, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Excrement, Grief, Terminal illness, War, Sexual content, Death, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
ienbdri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Grief, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Cursing, Animal death, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Excrement, Drug use, War, Abortion, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Death, Cancer, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Mental illness
ko_rax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism and War
arainey's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, Cancer, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Addiction, Physical abuse, Abortion, War, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Car accident and Dementia
gentlemanjack's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Racism, Classism, War, Sexual content, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Racial slurs
janineledet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Racism, Grief, Gore, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, War, Pregnancy, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abortion