On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous : 'A masterpiece' - Max Porter

Author: Vuong, Ocean

Fiction & related items

Published on 14 May 2020 by Vintage Publishing (Vintage).

THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER AND TIKTOK SENSATION'A marvel' Marlon James Brilliant, heart-breaking and highly original, discover Ocean Vuong's shattering coming of age novel.

This 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. It tells of Vietnam, of the lasting impact of war, and of his family's struggle to forge a new future.

And it serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog's life his mother has never known - episodes of bewilderment, fear and passion - all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation.

'Reminded me that every word can be an incantation, and that beauty does hard and important work' Rebecca Solnit