Title: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
By: Ocean Vuong
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 246
Release Date: June 4th, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary from Goodreads:
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous 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 — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one's own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.
With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.
Review:
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong was a book club pick that completely surprised me. It’s not something I would have chosen on my own, but wow, what an emotional journey. Vuong’s writing is poetic and tender, making you feel safe even as the story dives into deep and sometimes painful places. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, and that added a whole new layer of meaning, like hearing the most beautiful poem come to life. Truly a powerful and unforgettable read.
No comments:
Post a Comment