By James Gamboa Over the Summer, I created a quarantine book list that would help distract me from the challenging and unusual circumstances that we have been living. Given my busy schedule, it took me until the end of the summer to finally get started reading some of the books. Of course, I somehow managed to procrastinate on something that I actually enjoyed doing. At the top of my book list was a novel entitled On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Voung. Voung is a Vietnamese American poet, novelist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is most famous for his critically acclaimed poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds. My supervisor, Hidy, recommended this book to me during a one on one Zoom meeting for my English 3090 class last quarter. As soon as I got off the call, I immediately ordered the book. I didn’t bother reading the synopsis, so I pretty much read the novel not knowing what to expect. By golly did the novel surprise me. The novel’s narrative is non-linear, creating vignettes of the past and the present. It is also in the form of a letter that is written by the main character, Little Dog. In the letter, Little Dog addresses his illiterate mother, Fong (translated to Rose), recounting his experiences of being an immigrant growing up in Hartford, Connecticut in the 1980s. He recalls his experiences growing up without a father figure and being left to take care of his abusive mother and dying grandmother, Lan. Working at his mother’s nail salon, Little Dog practices speaking English as his mother’s translator. His education becomes limited to the conversations he has with his mother’s clients. The more he understood the language, the more he understood the language of a racism. The letter then jumps to Little Dog’s adolescent years, telling the story of the time he worked on a tobacco farm. There he meets and begins a romantic relationship with a boy named Trevor. Little Dog’s relationship with Trevor becomes the catalyst for his journey of self-discovery. The rest of Little Dog’s letter explores his new understanding of not only his identity as a Vietnamese American immigrant, but also a gay Asian man. The poetic nature of the novel creates a more raw and nuanced portrayal of the experiences of an immigrant living in the United States. The deviation from the “traditional” English writing also helps establish the idea that the story found in Little Dog’s letter is not the usual American story. Rather, it is more challenging, heartbreaking, and quite frankly, frustrating. There is then this powerful sense of humanity in Voung’s novel, echoing the real traumas of people who are not accepted by society. Little Dog’s character becomes the embodiment of the many silenced voices in our world today such as those in the LGBTQ+ community and those who identify as a person of color. Ocean Voung recognizes the intersectionality of the identities seen in Little Dog (mostly because he is Little Dog). He presents us with the many challenges of what people like Little Dog have to go through on a daily basis—even to this day! There is this hope that whoever picks up the book will better understand the stories of those who have been marginalized within our own society. It is then up to us to listen to those stories. As soon as I finished reading the first few pages of the novel, I immediately fell in love with Ocean Voung’s writing. He recently hinted at a second novel that he’s working on called God, On Purpose. The release date is yet to be announced. I already can’t wait to pre-order the book! As an Asian American, I am inspired by Ocean Voung’s work. He has certainly shifted the paradigm in American literature, opening up many opportunities for writers of different races and cultures to pursue their passion in writing. I highly recommend reading this book and to continue to pursue reading the works of writers who represent the underrepresented. I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the novel. This quote can be found towards the end of the novel when Little Dog admits to his mother that he suffers from bi-polar disorder. Little Dog expresses his concern of adding the issues of his mental health on top of his identity as a gay, immigrant, non-English speaking man. I personally love this quote, as it meddles with the intersectionality of certain issues with various identities. There is no hiding the very human nature of having to juggle the uncertainties that come with self-discovery. Ocean Voung certainly does not hesitate to capture the emotional turmoil of having to find answers about one’s identity without the support of others. The reality that Voung portrays is a reality that exists for many but is not one that is often acknowledged. This quote really encapsulates the humanity of Voung’s novel: “The truth is we can survive our lives, but not our skin. But you know this already.”
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January 2024
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