Summary
Ocean Vuong's debut novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous took the literary world by storm upon its release in 2019. This deeply personal work, structured as a letter from a Vietnamese-American son to his illiterate mother, explores themes of family, identity, and the immigrant experience with breathtaking prose and raw emotion.
The novel received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including being longlisted for the National Book Award and the PEN/Hemingway Award. It was also named one of the best books of 2019 by over 30 publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Time magazine. Vuong's poetic background shines through in the lyrical quality of his writing, which has been described as “stunning” and “incandescent” by reviewers.
While On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous has not yet been adapted for the screen, film rights were acquired by A24 in 2020. Director Bing Liu, known for the Oscar-nominated documentary Minding the Gap, is attached to adapt the novel. As Vuong's powerful story continues to resonate with readers worldwide, its eventual cinematic interpretation is highly anticipated by fans and critics alike.
Plot
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is written as a letter from Little Dog, a Vietnamese American man in his late twenties, to his illiterate mother. The novel explores their family history, which has its roots in Vietnam, and delves into aspects of Little Dog's life that his mother has never known. Through this epistolary format, the author uncovers the complex relationship between a single mother and her son, while also examining themes of race, class, and masculinity in America.
The narrative is non-linear, weaving together stories from different generations. It recounts the life of Little Dog's grandmother, Lan, who escapes an arranged marriage during the Vietnam War and becomes a prostitute. Lan meets an American soldier, marries him, and gives birth to Rose, Little Dog's mother. Rose grows up with limited education due to the war and suffers from PTSD. She eventually moves to America as a refugee with her son and mother, struggling to adapt to life in Hartford, Connecticut.
As Little Dog grows up, he grapples with his identity as a gay Vietnamese American. He endures abuse from his mother throughout his childhood, highlighting the complexities of their relationship. The novel takes a turn when Little Dog meets Trevor, a young white man, while working on a tobacco farm one summer. Their romantic relationship becomes a central part of the story, exploring themes of first love, cultural differences, and sexuality.
The narrative also touches on the opioid crisis in America, as Trevor becomes addicted to opioids and eventually dies from an overdose. This tragedy serves as another layer in Little Dog's coming-of-age story, adding to the novel's exploration of trauma, addiction, and the search for identity in contemporary America. Throughout the book, Little Dog's experiences are set against the backdrop of his family's history and the broader context of Vietnamese American immigrant experiences.
Themes
Immigrant experience and cultural identity
Mother-son relationship and family dynamics
Intergenerational trauma and healing
Sexuality and coming of age
Impact of war and violence across generations
Power of language and storytelling
Exploration of race, class, and masculinity in America
Setting
Set primarily in Hartford, Connecticut, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous spans several decades, from the Vietnam War era to the present day. The novel's narrative unfolds across multiple geographical and temporal settings, reflecting the immigrant experience and intergenerational trauma of its Vietnamese American characters.
While much of the story takes place in contemporary America, particularly in working-class neighborhoods of Hartford, it also reaches back to war-torn Vietnam through memories and family histories. The protagonist, Little Dog, navigates his youth in Connecticut while grappling with his family's past in Southeast Asia.
Specific locations play a crucial role in shaping the characters' experiences. From the nail salon where Little Dog's mother works to the tobacco farm where he finds summer employment and first love, these settings underscore themes of labor, identity, and belonging in the immigrant narrative. The novel's epistolary format allows for a fluid movement between these diverse settings, creating a rich tapestry of place and time.
Characters
Little Dog: The protagonist and narrator. A young gay Vietnamese-American man writing a letter to his illiterate mother. He struggles with his identity, sexuality, and family trauma while trying to find his place in America. Little Dog is a sensitive and poetic soul who uses writing to process his experiences.
Rose (Hong): Little Dog's mother. A Vietnamese immigrant who works in a nail salon and struggles with PTSD from the war. She has a complex, sometimes violent relationship with her son but also fiercely loves and protects him. Rose is illiterate and battling her own demons from her traumatic past.
Lan: Little Dog's grandmother. A former sex worker who escaped an arranged marriage during the Vietnam War. She is a strong but damaged woman who helps raise Little Dog and passes down family stories and Vietnamese culture to him.
Trevor: Little Dog's first love. A white working-class teenager who struggles with his sexuality and eventually becomes addicted to opioids. His relationship with Little Dog is tender but ultimately tragic.
Paul: Rose's abusive ex-husband and Little Dog's stepfather. He is an alcoholic who inflicts violence on the family before leaving them.
Mai: Rose's sister and Little Dog's aunt. She provides some stability and support for the family after immigrating to America.
Quick facts
The novel is written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, who cannot read it.
The main character, Little Dog, is loosely based on Ocean Vuong's own life experiences as a Vietnamese-American immigrant.
Vuong wrote the first draft of the novel in just 10 weeks.
The book's title comes from a line in one of Vuong's poems.
It was Vuong's debut novel, following his acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds.
The audiobook is narrated by Ocean Vuong himself.
The novel was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction.
It spent 6 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Rights to adapt the book into a film were acquired by A24, with director Bing Liu attached to the project.
The book explores themes of family, identity, sexuality, and the immigrant experience in America.
About the Author
Ocean Vuong is a critically acclaimed Vietnamese American poet, essayist, and novelist. Born in Saigon in 1988, he immigrated to the United States as a young child and grew up in Connecticut. Vuong's literary career took off with his debut poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds in 2016, which won numerous prestigious awards including the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Whiting Award.
In 2019, Vuong published his first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, to widespread acclaim. The book, written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, explores themes of family, identity, and the immigrant experience. It became a New York Times bestseller and cemented Vuong's reputation as one of the most talented young writers of his generation. That same year, he was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant” in recognition of his extraordinary creativity and promise.
Vuong's work often draws from his personal experiences as a gay Vietnamese American and deals with complex issues of race, sexuality, and intergenerational trauma. His writing has appeared in prestigious publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper's Magazine. In addition to his literary pursuits, Vuong serves as an assistant professor in the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The author's accolades continue to accumulate, with his poetry collection Time Is a Mother released in 2022 and a second novel, The Emperor of Gladness, slated for publication in 2025. Vuong's unique voice and powerful storytelling have established him as a leading figure in contemporary American literature, bridging cultures and generations through his evocative prose and poetry.
