On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
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On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a beautifully uncomfortable book. It sits somewhere between poetry and prose, with a fragmented narrative structure that lets the reader explore the lives of Little Dog, his mother, and his grandmother. He touches on subjects ranging from Alzheimer’s to the opioid epidemic, from the impact of war on the ability to communicate to the layered complexity of mother-child relationships. The overarching themes always come back to connections - spanning cultures, generations, or even just across the deep gulfs trauma can leave within.
Ocean Vuong is a gifted wordsmith and creates evocative scenes that push the reader fully into each emotion he wants you to sit with. I spent some time looking for the perfect quote to showcase his writing style and the feel of reading the book. There were so many that struck me for different
reasons, and in the end I couldn’t pick. No individual quote could encompass this entire novel and I don’t want to diminish his work by pretending it could. In the end, you likely already know if this novel will be a good fit for you. If you like lyric writing styles, vivid imagery, philosophical musings on the most challenging aspects of life, or non-linear memoirs you’ll want to pick this up. It isn’t an easy read, but it’s definitely worth it.
I wanted to honor both sides of the author’s heritage when picking a drink to go with this book, but my initial impulse of Budweiser, while I think accurate to the time and place, was hard to combine with anything from Vietnam. Instead I ended up going with a Lemongrass Mule - lemongrass as a popular flavor in Vietnamese cuisine, and the Mule as a popular East Coast drink. I don’t know the accuracy of where I ended up, but at least I got a delicious drink out of it!
I mostly used this Lemongrass Mule recipe, and this lemongrass syrup. I did use the fancy sugar the syrup recipe called for - it adds a lot of flavor and we happened to have leftovers from a recent curry my husband made. I did realize halfway through making the mule that I didn’t actually have any ginger ale at home, so I brewed ginger tea instead. I loved the swap! The mule was as refreshing as ever, but less sweet, making it more enjoyable for my palette. Definitely try that substitution and let me know what you think!
