On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

What On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is about

A young man named Little Dog sits down to write a long letter to his mother, Hong, whom everyone calls Rose. She cannot read it, and that fact shapes everything he says. In his late twenties, he moves back and forth through time to piece together where his family came from and what it cost them: his grandmother Lan's difficult choices during the Vietnam War, his mother's lasting trauma and her work in a Hartford nail salon, and his own childhood, which included her violence toward him.

The letter also follows his first love, a young man named Trevor he meets on a tobacco farm, and his growing awareness of himself as a gay man. The author is a poet, and the writing shows it, with lyrical, melancholy sentences that stay close and personal. The novel looks at immigration, race, class and masculinity without softening them. It suits readers who value language and want a tender, honest story about a mother and son.

Questions about On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

When was On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous published?

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong was first published in 2019.

Was On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous one of the best books of 2019?

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is #17 on BookWard's Best Books of 2019, out of 84 2019 books that cleared our data bar. 524 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (30 ratings).

Why is On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous on the Best Books of 2019 list?

524 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (30 ratings).

More of the best books of 2019

• Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston, #1
• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson, #2
• Heartstopper, Volume 2 Alice Oseman, #3
• Guts Raina Telgemeier, #4
• The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides, #5
• The Wicked King Holly Black, #6

See the full Best Books of 2019, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.