Pages After Dark discussion
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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
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Rating: 4/5 This was such a beautiful book. The writing style is absolute extraordinary. This book is written in form of letters but you can easily follow the story.
It deals with a lot of heavy problems such as mental disease, racism, queerness, family and war. In some moments the emotions felt so raw that I was convinced this book is partly an biography. Everything felt so real and reading this was such a beautiful experience but it hurt too.
The time skipping and jumping between moments was really well done. It always came unexpected but I was never confused by it. Seeing the different dynamics in the relationship between mother and son was emotional and felt pretty realistic.
There are so many deeper meanings and metaphors in here that you probably need to read it more than once to really find and understand them all.
I'm not sure about the Song but I think "Block me out" by Gracie Abrams fits. Especially when she sings "I think I'm burning alive but no one sees the fire" felt pretty accurate for the MC
Late to the party as I just finished the book on Monday. Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
I've been wanting to read this book since it first came out and I'm glad I finally got the chance to!
The writing in this book is raw, emotional, cheeky at times, and poetic. The author articulates his thoughts, experiences, and feelings exceptionally well. Considering Ocean Vuong started out as a poet with his debut full-length book being a poetry collection, it makes sense that this novel/memoir would be written like poems/prose at times.
At the beginning of the novel, I did find it a bit difficult to follow the time jumps but I was quickly able to grasb his writing style and I found by the end that all the back and forth flowed nicely.
Writing about heavy topics such as the ones discussed in OEWBG whilst still keeping readers engaged is a skill that I appreciate in authors very much. Ocean is one of those authors.
I think a song that somewhat relates to the book is 'We Exist' by Arcade Fire. Especially the lines:
"They're walking around
Head full of sound
Acting like
We don't exist
They walk in the room
And stare right through you
Talking like
We don't exist"
Here’s how it works — write down your rating out of 5 stars, your choice of song(s) relating to the book, and your thoughts and reviews of what you just read, the meaning of the song you chose, or a part of the novel that provoked a stronger emotion on you. I'll start!
Disclaimer: ** [SPOILERS IN MY REVIEW BELOW] **
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.75
Song: Mum - Luke Hemmings
Review:
This is a book that shattered and stomped on my soul, all while rebuilding it at once. It felt urgent and utterly raw, peeling every layer of skin down to the bone. Vuong writes in such a poetic manner, giving you no choice but to read between the lines. That in itself was unfortunately why it fell short for me. I almost questioned whether this book should’ve been a poetry collection rather than an entire novel. Nonetheless, it was a powerful story, one that I know will be remembered for years.
The song “Mum” by Luke Hemmings was the one that spoke heavily to me in relation to the book. The chorus alone, states that he is sinking and is too young to be in so much pain. He is hurting and struggling, yet she cannot hear him. He apologizes for his lack of contact, and we see this in the book where he just wasn’t communicating in her language, but he already knew the words. The second verse goes “all the things I did just drown it out”. In the book he goes about his life; figuring out his purpose through the trauma and discoveries of his past, uncovering all the opportunities for his mother to be a mother. Despite the sadness I hear from this song, it also brings a sense of appreciation towards rebuilding a bond between a mother and a son.