On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong One thing is for certain: poets are amazing fiction writers. Although, I think On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous might be classified as autofiction. This is a coming of age novel following Little Dog, born in Vietnam and living in Hartford, Connecticut with his mentally ill mother and grandmother. It chronicles Little Dog's growth from a young boy in an abusive environment to his teenage years where he comes out, has his first romantic/sexual experiences with a farm boy, and learns the power of words through writing. The story is told as a letter from Little Dog to his illiterate mother who will likely never be able to read it. In this letter, he recounts various scenes from his life with her (Hong, or Rose) and his grandmother, Lan. Lan (a schizophrenic) had worked as a sex worker during the Vietnam War and gave birth to Rose, whose school was raided when she was a little girl. The letter is meant to be a catharsis for Little...