On earth we're briefly gorgeous: a novel
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English
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A New York Times bestseller • Nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction • Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytellingNew York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century “A lyrical work of self-discovery that’s shockingly intimate and insistently universal…Not so much briefly gorgeous as permanently stunning.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post“This is one of the best novels I’ve ever read...Ocean Vuong is a master. This book a masterpiece.”—Tommy Orange, author of There There and Wandering StarsOn 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.Named a Best Book of the Year by: GQ, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Library Journal, TIME, Esquire, The Washington Post, Apple, Good Housekeeping, The New Yorker, The New York Public Library, Elle.com, The Guardian, The A.V. Club, NPR, Lithub, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue.com, The San Francisco Chronicle, Mother Jones, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, and more!
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Vuong, Ocean Narrator, Author
ISBN
9780525562023
9780525562047
9781984888853
9780525562030
9780525562047
9781984888853
9780525562030
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In these haunting and stylistically complex literary fiction novels communication barriers impact men's attempts to move beyond trauma. Both focus on immigrant ordeals -- Last Gift is about East Africans living in England. On Earth is about Vietnamese immigrants in the US. -- Alicia Cavitt
Whether haunting (On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous ) or hopeful (House of Sticks), both coming-of-age stories center on Vietnamese refugees navigating an impoverished upbringing in America. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a novel; House of Sticks, a memoir. -- Kaitlin Conner
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Fans of lyrical prose are in for a treat with these books, both of which are authored by poets. While they have some autobiographical qualities to them, they remain stylistically complex novels that examine art, family, and legacies of war and immigration. -- Basia Wilson
LGTBQIA Cambodian American (Afterparties) and Vietnamese American (On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous) characters navigate immigrant life, inherited trauma, and identity in both moving works. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a novel; Afterparties a short story collection. -- Kaitlin Conner
These raw, poignant meditations on love and loss feature resonant prose, haunting tones, and inventive structures. Both are stylistically complex novels that incorporate some autobiographical elements, each reflecting on a relationship between mother and son. -- Catherine Coles
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Haunting and lyrical, these literary fiction novels both follow queer men as they grapple with their identities as the sons of immigrant parents. -- CJ Connor
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Eddie signwriter - Schwartzman, Adam
The lyrical writing in these coming-of-age novels echoes the authors' poetry, and the themes of immigration and emigration characterize the protagonists' experiences. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous portrays a Vietnamese immigrant to America; Eddie Signwriter depicts a Ghanaian in Paris. -- Katherine Johnson
These coming-of-age novels by Vietnamese immigrants to America share lyrical descriptions and perceptive characterizations along with the theme of generational differences. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous includes raw scenes involving opioid abuse, while Monkey Bridge emphasizes the protagonist's efforts to assimilate. -- Katherine Johnson
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The stylistically complex, evocative writing of these Vietnamese-American authors provides strong characters and vivid descriptions. The books' psychological insights especially draw readers into the thought-provoking storylines. Both have also published nonfiction. -- Katherine Johnson
Though Jeffrey Eugenides's catalog is all fiction, Ocean Vuong is also known for his poetry, both write stories that showcase lyrical and complex prose and surprising, unconventional plots. Eugenides' writing tends to be a bit funnier than Vuong's more haunting work. -- Stephen Ashley
These literary authors sensitively and candidly portray experiences of Vietnamese refugees and their subsequent lives in America. Lan Cao presents the lives of girls and women, while Ocean Vuong depicts young men and represents a LGBTQIA perspective. -- Katherine Johnson
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting, stylistically complex, and unconventional, and they have the subjects "vietnamese americans," "mothers and sons," and "immigration and emigration"; and include the identities "lgbtqia+" and "gay."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting, stylistically complex, and unconventional, and they have the subjects "vietnamese americans," "mothers and sons," and "southeast asian people."
These authors' works have the subjects "vietnamese americans," "immigration and emigration," and "psychic trauma"; and include the identity "asian."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting, stylistically complex, and unconventional, and they have the subjects "immigration and emigration," "psychic trauma," and "asian people"; and include the identity "asian."
These authors' works have the subjects "vietnamese americans," "immigration and emigration," and "southeast asian people"; and include the identity "asian."
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These authors' works have the appeal factors stylistically complex, and they have the genres "literary fiction" and "psychological fiction"; and the subjects "vietnamese americans," "southeast asian americans," and "refugees, vietnamese."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting, lyrical, and unconventional, and they have the genres "literary fiction" and "mainstream fiction"; and the subjects "vietnamese americans," "mothers and sons," and "immigration and emigration."
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