On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

by

Megan Lee

Ocean Vuong’s novel takes the form of a young Vietnamese American writer’s letter to his illiterate mother — her education having ended at seven, when her school in Vietnam collapsed after an American napalm raid. In his letter, the unnamed narrator combines a series of seemingly unrelated memories, events, and musings in an attempt to convey some inexpressible truth.

My review:

In the form of a letter to his illiterate mother, Vuong is able to so memorably create a fractured narrative of a fractured family. What stood out to me most was the set of vignettes throughout the novel that so strikingly explored trauma, abuse as well as the nature of the society we live in. The question that lies at the heart of this book, is whether language really can be a bridge as it aspires to be. We see that throughout the novel, our unnamed narrator (‘Little Dog’) seems to use writing as a means of processing and articulating difficult memories.

Little Dog’s attempts to navigate his relationship with his abusive mother through the use of language, provides him with the catharsis that brings him closer to understanding his family’s past — one that is intertwined with the history of war and violence in Vietnam. 

Whilst it is a short book, it is in no way an easy read. Throughout, readers witness Little Dog contending with the dual challenges of being a person of colour in a white place. Through the episodic stories recounted in his letters, Little Dog’s patchwork of memories builds a a beautifully poignant narrative of aging, lost innocence, intergenerational trauma, and identity. 

Absolutely incandescent. One of my favourite books solely because of the sheer visceral beauty of Vuong’s writing.

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