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A review by justinlewry
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I miss you more than I remember you.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It seamlessly moves between poetry and prose in every sentence to tell a complex, layered story of inter-generational trauma, love, loss, and our place in the world.
It simultaneously feels huge and very contained - a shifting scale.
There’s a lot that I really loved in this book, particularly Little Dog’s first experience of love in and endless summer, and his exploration of his connection to place, to people and to the past. But unfortunately there was a lot that I didn’t connect with.
This book has a lot to say, but not all of it had an impact on me.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It seamlessly moves between poetry and prose in every sentence to tell a complex, layered story of inter-generational trauma, love, loss, and our place in the world.
It simultaneously feels huge and very contained - a shifting scale.
There’s a lot that I really loved in this book, particularly Little Dog’s first experience of love in and endless summer, and his exploration of his connection to place, to people and to the past. But unfortunately there was a lot that I didn’t connect with.
This book has a lot to say, but not all of it had an impact on me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Car accident, War, and Classism