Title: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Author: Ocean Vuong

Genre: Epistolary Novel, Semi-Autobiographical Novel, Bildungsroman

Rating: 4/5 

“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is Ocean Vuong’s unfeignedly raw letter to his traumas, to his upbringing, and especially, to his mother. The topics within the book are ones to be handled with great caution and should not be taken lightly, tackling issues such as generational trauma, addiction, abuse, and sexuality. The novel is written in such a manner that is inherently personal—unashamedly witnessing intimate and exacting details of Ocean’s upbringing and lifetime as a gay Vietnamese-American.

The story follows Ocean Vuong, who takes on the voice of Little Dog, as he brings us through his childhood and as far as the Vietnam war, which his schizophrenic grandma, Lan, was a survivor of. She often told him stories about the conflicts she witnessed, explaining their history through the visions and anecdotes of war as if she was still reliving it till this very day. She is the epitome of an Asian grandmother, whose love language is having her white hairs plucked and asking Little Dog if he had eaten anything.

Then there is his mother, Rose, the start of the Vietnamese and American lineage—the working woman who had done everything in her power to keep her family afloat, all while dealing with her past, present, and future as an immigrant in America. Without proper education due to her village being caught up in a raid and only her local tongue—made it difficult for her to get accustomed to her new life. This makes her reliant on Little Dog who she often had to ask for help in translating or even talking for her when she could not find the right words to say. Rose was a woman of sheer force and of deep untended wounds that no anesthesia or sleep would ever ease.

Yet, in the face of generational trauma and the harsh realities of being a foreigner—an alien—in America, Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” makes light of tender moments and unbridled happiness that will carry through the discomfort of living. 

Love is preserved in margins, footnotes, in the body

Where could one begin describing such a carnal love and drug-driven high that seemed to twist and turn you inside and out? The way Vuong shows vulnerability through his unapologetically honest writing is refreshing and heartbreaking—as if having someone present their heart for all to see in its messy and wonderful glory. 

Within the novel, Little Dog takes up a job at a tobacco farm and meets Trevor, an all American blonde-brunette boy who has a dependency on drugs and opioids. The two fall into moments of heated passion and settle on a relationship that mimics flings rather than a proper bond—their love is made out to be a haven of intimacy with undertones of trauma-bonding. 

To be loved is to know that even in the most mundane of situations and in terrifying moments of being truly human, such attachment would blossom to getting better. Unfortunately, others do not escape the hounds of addiction and expectations of the self.

Tenderness is proof

Talking about and processing generational trauma will always be difficult. It is a burden to bear knowing that there will always be a reason for a parent’s or grandparent’s behavior and you cannot fault them for it. Vuong’s approach to such a topic flows naturally through his writing, as if it isn’t such a complicated thing to even compose, let alone communicate properly to the reader without overwhelming them. 

“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” showcases this process by showing Little Dog wholeheartedly taking every reaction and response without harsh judgment—from listening to Grandma Lan’s retelling of the same story again and again, to sitting in a Dunkin’ Donuts with his mother, finally knowing the truth as to why he does not have any siblings before him. Yet, no matter how broken each of the members of his family may seem, they have stuck together with a quiet understanding and acceptance of what the other has gone through. 

After all, they are all that they have and at the end of the day, it is them who Little Dog runs to and who Vuong dedicates this novel to.

This novel is about life displayed for the world to see. It is a soul, so tenderly and earnestly written despite the harsh topics that cut through it. “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is a body of work littered with violence and glorious sadness, yet it emerges beautiful and unspoiled. It gives the experience of dealing with everything all at once—things that can’t be forgotten. Sometimes, it is best to let the universe know of the pain and write until the heart has learned to accept what has happened and what will happen next. 

So go, write a letter to life and all of its sorrows and victories.

“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous" is sold physically in Fully Booked. It is also available online through Lazada, Shopee, and Fully Booked Online.