On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Books

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong

2019•Drama•256 pages

Taste attributes: dramagay/lesbianfamilyslowfresh & originalunsavouryheavyrealisticsimpleglossyenclosedemotive & stirringcoming of agecomplex relationshiphuman spirit/resilience/survival

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeAn emotional, weighty novel: grounded and small-scale. Best if you like stories that hit hard.

Pace: slow · Originality: balanced · Tone: dark · Weight: heavy · Realism: true to life · Story: simple · Structure: balanced · Look: balanced · Scale: confined · Emotional punch: very stirringHow we score

Open Library rating

4.2 / 5

33 ratings

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

About This Book

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation.

Description: Open Library

Characteristics

Where this book sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast
FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal
DarkTONEWholesome
LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy
FantasyREALISMRealistic
SimpleINTRICACYIntricate
Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear
UnderstatedSTYLEStylised
IntimateSCALEEpic
RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

DramaGay/lesbianFamilyComing of ageComplex relationshipHuman spirit/resilience/survival

Subjects

Mothers and sonsLGBTQ novelsVietnamese AmericansAdult child abuse victimsChildren of prostitutesSchizophrenicsFamily relationshipsDiscrimination

Details

Author
Ocean Vuong
Published
2019
Pages
256
Taste scores
How we score

How book matches work

Books are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands. Book scores are estimates, made from Open Library subjects and descriptions plus an AI reading.

More books

Browse popular fiction and narrative non-fiction, with a match for your taste.

Browse Books