On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is a hauntingly heartbreaking novel written in the form of a letter, addressed from a son to a mother who cannot read. The speaker’s name is referred to as “Little Dog”, and in his letter he talks about various topics, like race, gender, sexuality, masculinity, and grief, all while struggling with a language barrier that prevents his mother from ever reading it. In this book, Vuong writes in a messy series of snippets and moments that capture the raw honesty of its speaker.
First and foremost, the most unique aspect of this book is its structure and style. As Vuong is known as a poet, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous explores the English language poetically. Voung’s stylistic choices make it seem as if Little Dog’s life story was too heavy and overwhelming for a writer to narrate simply as a timeline of events. Thus, the novel contains both beautiful prose and poetry that reflect Little Dog’s recount of his trauma and childhood. However, this style and format of writing may not be for everyone. While reading the book, I was often confused about when certain events occurred, as the book was a mess of recollections and stories. But upon reflection, Vuong does an incredible job with capturing each memory and moment, leaving readers swept up in his craft.
The main character, Little Dog, “speaks” to his illiterate mother about various heavy subjects that he faces throughout his life. As he opens up to his mother about his trauma and his difficulty in recounting it, readers will feel Little Dog’s raw honesty and the intimacy of his letter. The speaker includes many unsaid things in his letters that his mother does not know and never will, as the letter will never be properly received by its recipient.
However, a very significant aspect of this mother-son dynamic is the language barrier that exists between the two. The whole novel is written in English, the very language that Little Dog’s mother cannot understand, emphasizing the importance of language. When such a language barrier exists, it becomes clearer to readers why it was difficult for Little Dog to seek out his mother for much of his childhood and why he felt so lost growing up. Additionally, growing up in America, he struggles to understand both his grandmother and mother’s traumatic experiences from when they were in Vietnam. Little Dog writes of the stories and trauma that his family shared with him, creating a conflict between his identity as both a Vietnamese person and an American.
But, even amidst the negativity, Little Dog slowly explores his own sexuality when he meets another boy, Trevor. A good chunk of the book is centered about Trevor and Little Dog’s friendship, and it is clear that to Little Dog, Trevor is an escape from everything else. They truly open up to one another, which is incredibly moving to read about.
Through its poetic prose, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous manages to manipulate the English language to capture various beautiful moments and memories through its speaker’s diction. The messy and brutally honest narration of Little Dog makes him a relatable character who faces trauma that he cannot fully understand and explain to his mother. Depicting a complex relationship with both one’s mother and language, although the novel is not the most satisfying, it is a hauntingly real one.