On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is an enthralling story covering race, sexuality, masculinity and grief. The book encapsulates feelings of nostalgia and love towards the narrator’s (‘Little Dog’s) illiterate mother Rose, whom is the recipient of a letter from her son. He recounts both his mother’s and grandmother’s experiences of war throughout the novel, which leads to reader to believe this is the cause of his turbulent relationship with his mother as a child. Little Dog is often met with abuse from his mother, with refIects the violence Rose suffered herself during the war, suggesting her abusive ways stem from war related PTSD. “I read that parents suffering from PTSD are more likely to hit there children” is a direct quote from Little Dog himself. The book is a deep rooted exploration between traumatic effects of war and violence later in life. There are many telltale signs of this ideology between the family. Rose fears the sounds of fireworks and loud noises. This is evident one Fourth of July when she is stunned into fear after loud fireworks are set off by neighbours. She pushes Little Dog to the floor, saying “Shhh, if you scream the mortars will know we are here.” There are other similar circumstances that take place throughout the novel, including Little Dog innocently attempting to prank his mother by shouting “Boom!” This leads Rose to break down into tears, hand over heart.
Another prominent theme in this written work is drug abuse. In On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong discusses the widespread use of drugs in the setting of early 2000s America. The most prevalent example of this theme is during Little Dog’s friendship with Trevor, who later became his first lover. Their relationship is consistently centred around drug addiction throughout the book, with almost every memory circling back to the topic is some way or another. Little Dog later says he can’t talk about Trevor’s life without talking about “the drugs that blew it apart.” Of five of his friends in the novel, four are killed by drug overdose by the time Little Dog is at college, which puts into perspective the devastating reality of America’s drug problem in the 2000s. He never fully recovers from these deaths, particularly the loss of Trevor.
Also through the relationship with Trevor, is the exploration of Little Dog’s sexuality and his perception and experience of gender normalities. As a young boy, Little Dog was gifted a pink bike by his mother, as this colour is all she can afford. Because of the feminine colour of his bike, he is met with abuse from the neighbourhood kid, who pushes Little Dog off his bike and tries to scrape of the paint. Little Dog and his mother wake up one day to discover a slur has been painted across their door. She doesn’t understand what it means, and so he tells her it says ‘Merry Christmas.’ The exploration of gender stereotypes and sexuality during Little Dog’s childhood is evident throughout this novel.
Ocean Vuong’s poetic talent is clear in this short tale. It’s quite hard to believe this is a debut novel. Though few pages, the writing style uses a poetic form to capture many snippets of childhood memories and the feelings alongside them perfectly. These recollections are structured unusually, often in a non-linear sequence. With this approach, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is comparable to a stunning collection of poetry.
The story truly seems so real. Perhaps a memoir, although labelled as a work of fiction, the author combines historical factuality with tender feelings and ideas clearly stemming from their own past. The book uses historical events and legendary figures like Tiger Woods and the Vietnam War from our own reality, making the account ambiguous as a work of fiction or truth.
If you’re a fan of poetry, or simply appreciative of beautiful language and raw, hard-hitting emotional narration, this book is a must-read.