In his debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong employs an epistolary format, writing letters from a son, Little Dog, to his illiterate mother, Rose. The letters reveal complex emotions surrounding identity, love, and the experience of being a mixed-race child. Little Dog's romantic feelings for his best friend Trevor unfold amidst his attempts to convey nuanced expressions of love. Vuong's work defies traditional narrative structures, aiming instead for fragmented poetry blended into prose, prompting some critiques while simultaneously elevating him to literary prominence.
"I envy words for doing what we can never do - how they can tell all of themselves simply by standing still, simply by being."
"What I hoped to write with this book was pieces of debris... I refuse to make it legible, cohesive. Refuse to perform a temporal linearity..."
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