On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong - Restarting March 15th 2021

[Dannii]

Poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

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.

[Dannii]

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Date changed. Restarting March 1st 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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[Dannii]

Just about to begin :)

[Dannii]

I'm literally only 10 pages in but here to say that I want to cry with how beautiful this writing is!

[iana]

I'm only a couple in with my ebook but same! I've already got some highlights marked. I recall looking up Ocean Vuong a while back when I was searching for poets to read, but I don't actually remember what came up in the searches then. :p most probably beautiful stuff, judging by how this beginning is looking!

[Dannii]

This was the first of their books I'd hear of but there's a poetry anthology on Scribd i want to check out, after this. So, so beautiful!

[iana]

ooh, that's something I'd like to see as well! are you maybe referring to Night Sky with Exit Wounds? also, I'm doing a bit of sleuthing on the poet on Poetry Foundation, so I may or may not be getting a bit sidetracked with the reading...

[Dannii]

Yes, that's the one! I think I'm going to read that one after this :)

I'd be interested to learn more about them, and how much of this story is taken from actual history or personal history.

[iana]

cool! I myself placed a hold on a copy just some hours ago. :D

[Dannii]

First quarter - (view spoiler)[The beauty of the writing and subject matter makes me do unspeakably sad. I am in utter adoration with this book, and already know it is one I am going to return to.

Little Dog is writing a letter to his illiterate mother, so I assume this is really a letter for himself. He details so much childhood grief, but also allows the reader to see his mother as struggling from PTSD and mentions the Vietnam war, as well as life there before they came to America, as an explanation for her behaviour. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

I reached to page 60 and think I'm going to read another quarter of this over the next three days. I'm loving it and really want to take the time to ruminate on it, inbetween reading a portion.

[iana]

sounds good! it's definitely one of those you revel in even more at a slower pace and take deeply to heart, I think. I'm only about halfway through that amount, but I should be able to catch some more in between classes. :) I also should emphasize again how lyrical the voice is!

[iana]

Part 1

(view spoiler)[agreed with the writing. few books have truly heightened the story by the eloquence of their writing for me, and this is definitely one of them.

I've never thought about it like that, but I like that idea of writing the letter for himself. Little Dog's relationship with his mother is obviously complicated. there's a storge but also an undeniable hurt, inflicted in more ways than one. but having that conflict sent to the audience across different perspectives—his, his mother's, Paul's, Lan's, even Carol from when they were walking the beagle—I think solidifies it.

also, I don't know if I missed it or it hasn't been directed, but was there a point in the story that addressed Paul living away from the rest of the family? or if Lan was still alive when Little Dog visited him? that's one of the things I considered when the story made a point with Paul and his polaroid. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Second quarter - (view spoiler)[The speech about the word 'sorry' really resonated with me. The systematic and societal abuse this details is horrific! It feels even more horrific for how commonplace it is. I'm still in love with this, but reading it feels like pressing on a bruise. (hide spoiler)]

[iana]

Part 2

Dannii wrote: "Second quarter - [spoilers removed]"

I agree! (view spoiler)[it burns to read, for sure. it's tough to see all the issues addressed in the story through the narrator's personal experiences, where the writing amplifies the feelings the story already evokes in the reader, to the point where you can almost FEEL the story. but, it was the sick reality, as the mention of the killings in the gay club and the acid for a love note. it's heartbreaking.

I sometimes forget that this is a letter to Little Dog's mother, and I admire the unpacking of things unfiltered in it and the recalling of the memories. I'm also super curious as to where this Trevor thing is leading to because, so far, I've got absolutely no clue how this all is going to end. obviously not complaining though. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Guiana wrote: "Part 2

Dannii wrote: "Second quarter - [spoilers removed]"

I agree! it burns to read, for sure. it's tough to see all the issues addressed in the story through the narrator's personal experiences..."

I wonder how it is all going to be tied together, too. There seems lots of small stories spread throughout this and he is writing to his mother, who can't read I'm sure. (view spoiler)[I'm wondering if she has died and this is his goodbye letter to her, of sorts. (hide spoiler)]

[iana]

Finished!

(view spoiler)[oh, gosh, that was spectacular! I admired the delving into several facets of identity, all of them being equally important. I established connections with my own life as well, most especially with being an immigrant and family ties. I grew up in the Philippines, which is close to Vietnam, and found similarities in things mentioned in the book like the old remedies. and, I feel like I've fawned over the writing so much but here I am again! it's absolutely hypnotizing.

I was momentarily floored by Trevor's passing, which I read on the page I literally just turned after commenting on part 2 only moments before, when I was wondering how he'd end up. his and Lan's losses dug a hole into my chest.

though I felt like the ending was a bit impotent, overall, that was a wondrous way to kick off my March reading! (hide spoiler)]

Dannii wrote: "Guiana wrote: "Part 2

Dannii wrote: "Second quarter - [spoilers removed]"

I agree! it burns to read, for sure. it's tough to see all the issues addressed in the story through the narrator's perso..."

and as for this, (view spoiler)[in the end, it never really addressed whether Little Dog's mom was still alive (unless I missed it!), but I assume she was still alive at that point, like when he talks about the letter reaching her if we're taking that in the literal sense. but, it does still seem like a goodbye letter, as much for her as for Trevor and Lan, but also kind of the introduction of something new to her and to himself. I don't know, I'm interested to hear your thoughts! (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Third quarter - (view spoiler)[I had assumed that things between Trevor and Little Dog were going to be sweet and innocent, but the violence that is evident in all other parts of their lives also infiltrates their exploration of each other. Following this though, their relationship seemed to continue as it always had and I was so glad that they both found so much solace in each other. It made me extremely sad to read of his passing. This whole book is full of so much misery! (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Fourth quarter - (view spoiler)[I really appreciated how staccato the segments of his writing become, as everything in his life devolves after Trevor's death. There was an oddly nice, if also horrific, symmetry there.

I adored this whole book but am still glad I took a break between reading the first and second halves of it. It was just so horrifically sad and a book I definitely had to be in the right mental head space to explore.

Lan's death followed Trevor's but due to her age and the long life she had lived I felt a little less sad to read of it. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Guiana wrote: "Finished!

oh, gosh, that was spectacular! I admired the delving into several facets of identity, all of them being equally important. I established connections with my own life as well, most espec..."

Sorry it took me so long to complete this one. I just didn't feel ready for all the sadness so took a little break from it. (view spoiler)[I found the ending as beautiful as everything else but so vague! I originally thought, at the beginning, that his mother was dead but the ending seemed to hint that she was alive but they were no longer in touch. His talk of running I took to mean that maybe he run from her, his family, and his past, as though to break the chain of their tragedy, like the buffalo hurling themselves off the cliff. I think it probably has many different interpretations though. (hide spoiler)]

[iana]

Dannii wrote: "Guiana wrote: "Finished!

oh, gosh, that was spectacular! I admired the delving into several facets of identity, all of them being equally important. I established connections with my own life as w..."

I missed the notification for this! I'm so glad you loved this! (view spoiler)[I like your take on the buffalo metaphor. I was both surprised and not somehow when Little Dog returned to his house and just lay there with his mom. for her to be sleeping on the ground rather than the bed was a tidbit that is still clear to me, that while she had problems with her back, it was almost like she's spent much time with lesser luxury that sleeping on a bed might feel foreign. the statistics sprinkled in towards the end about opiods and other drugs as meaning something without really saying it in relation to Trevor's death was brilliant. (hide spoiler)] thank you for reading with me! super happy you enjoyed it! :D

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting March 15th 2021. Happy Reading ☺

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[Denny]

I'm innn

[Fany]

I've read a chapter yesterday before bed, and I'm loving it so far! It has this authentic style to it that makes it seem more life-like, like scribbles in a journal.
(view spoiler)[ The thought about him and his mom being "one thing" is really interesting, and so is what he says about monsters. The way he talks to her like she is a found treasure that he accepts with all the problems she has, even though she hit him, is precious.
Though maybe the vibes will change later on.
(hide spoiler)]

[Denny]

That sounds great Fany! I'll start reading it soon and so much excited cause I'm a 100% Vietnamese, and I really loved Ocean Vuong's writing-style

[Denny]

15%
(view spoiler)[ Really heartfelt. I'm Vietnamese(again lol) so I could imagine and "feel" the whole context. (hide spoiler)]
If you don't know, "Mạ" in Vietnamese is an old-fashioned word means mother. It was used the most in Vietnam wars time.

[Denny]

Hi Fany, have you read any more chapter yet? I hope you found this book was great like I do ^^
I've been really busy recently because of midterm exams soooo I couldn't read as much as I can, butttt i will try my best to keep on track this time and finish this book in this month.
Happy readinggg