Duong’s Reviews > On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous > Status Update
Duong
is 70% done
lots of intimate details of his relationship with trevor and his relationship with drugs. trevor also overdosed multiple times and died. his grandma also died from bone cancer. despite his tough upbringings, we can tell that he loves this decrepit place without romanticizing it, its still very gritty
— Jun 03, 2026 12:53PM
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Duong’s Previous Updates
Duong
is 50% done
his mother's mental decline, presumably from ptsd, is very sad. describes lots of his personal life like his first boyfriend, first sexual experience, the internalised misogyny in his boyfriend (not wanting to be bottomed because he doesn't want to feel like a girl), how being a sub bottom empowered him (trauma response?), when he came out to his mum
— Jun 02, 2026 12:55AM
Duong
is 29% done
paul (his step-grandfather) and ocean vuong has a really sweet relationship, i can tell it means a lot to both of them. we see a tender moment of his grandmother and mother giving him an ugly nickname to "spiritually protect him".
— May 26, 2026 07:13PM
Duong
is 27% done
we find out more ocean vuong's family history, ties to the republic of vietnam government. his father died in custody of the communists. his "grandfather" is not actually his grandfather. he's navigating understanding his own identity
— May 26, 2026 07:00PM
Duong
is starting
this is significantly better as spoken poetry. ocean vuong is a great narrator. the analogy about the deer taxidermy is beautiful. but like i think this is no plot just vibes
— May 26, 2026 03:32AM
Duong
is on page 70 of 246
theres this chaotic part when they're all confined in the car that's supposed to represent them being entrapped in the confines of generational trauma but i dont think its done well. hovering 3-4 atars
— Oct 25, 2024 01:55PM
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rated it 3 stars
Jun 03, 2026 01:31PM
A lot of great themes and topics being explored, imperialism, war, trauma, homosexuality, family, dynamics, patriarchy, socioeconomic circumstances, the evil of the pharmaceutical industry,... some of the writing is really beautiful and some of the metaphor's and motives are really valuable in making this book stand out from others thematically. However, there feels like a disconnect between different topics, meaning there isn't an easy transition from one topic to another, I wonder if this is intentional by the author. It feels like you're in a haze, and it feels very disorienting for the readers. The relationships between the author and everybody else is very well developed. The issue is just structure and pacing and organization. Writing is OK. He's still not very steady handed throughout, there are some pieces that are more developed than others.
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