The novel takes the form of a letter written by the main character, Little Dog, to his mother — an immigrant from Vietnam who cannot read. What we are sure of is that Ocean Vuong’s magnificent novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is just that; gorgeous and painful, heart fulfilling and heart breaking.. In today’s episode we’re briefly gorgeous, or possibly briefly monstrous.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Responsibility: Ocean Vuong. Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous confirms him as a master of inventive language that has its roots in the spoken word but reaches shimmering heights of lyricism, too.

We’re pretty sure both are applicable. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous A Novel (Book) : Vuong, Ocean : "A letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. -- Joseph O'Connor * Sunday Independent *Books of the Year* * Vuong is surely a literary descendant of the author of Leaves of Grass. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction, administered by the Publishing Triangle and Ferro-Grumley Literary Awards; the winner will be announced on April 30. Awards: Long-listed for The International Dylan Thomas Prize 2020 (UK) Description: 242 pages ; 23 cm. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is the rare novel that makes you experience reading in a slightly different way and shows you that, no matter how many books you’ve read, something new and uniquely beautiful can still be found. Poet Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is ostensibly a letter from the narrator, Little Dog, to his mother, Rose.

I dog-eared so many pages the book almost collapsed—I almost did. Other Titles: On earth we are briefly gorgeous. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is an ode to loss and struggle, to being a Vietnamese American, to Hartford, Connecticut, and it’s a compassionate epistolary ode to a mother who may or may not know how to read. (WRITTEN BY JERRY WHEELER.)