Why On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Should Be the Next Book on Your Reading List

Note: this is part of our our best gay books series.

It takes something extraordinary to make a book resonate, to strike a chord that hums in harmony with the song of our existence.

Such a melody is found in the pages of Ocean Vuong's debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. Here's why you, the stylish, charismatic gay men of the world, need this book on your bedside table.

The "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" Moment

We seek ourselves in literature. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous provides such an intimate reflection. The queer narrative is powerful, as Vuong writes, "Being queer has helped me understand the fluidity of desire as well as its arbitrary, collapsible nature." It's the story of a Vietnamese American gay man - a character that is as real as he is relatable.

The Great Identity Bake-Off: Love, Loss, and Everything In-between

This book deals with universal themes - identity, love, and loss - like a baker handles dough: gently, yet firmly. There's a passage that goes, "All freedom is relative...you know this. And not just in the way we think. Freedom doesn’t stay still."

Like music, it modulates in step with life's exigencies. It’s a variant. A labor. It reeks of us.” These words resonate with the hearts of gay men, bearing witness to shared experiences.

Intersectionality: The Great Cosmic Joke

Intersectionality isn't just a buzzword. It's reality. The protagonist is not only gay but also an immigrant, a Vietnamese navigating life in America. “What is a country but a borderless sentence, a life?...What is a country but a life sentence?” Vuong poses this question, an echo of experiences lived by countless individuals.

The Symphony of Vuong’s Prose: It’s a Trap!

Beware, this book isn't just about the story; it's about how the story is told. Vuong’s lyrical and evocative prose is a riptide that sweeps you off your feet. Just listen to this:

"The very notion of you was built by hand, a fiction, a half-truth that skated the edge of the world before tilting toward oblivion." A prose that not just tells, but sings to you.

All Aboard the Empathy Express: Next Stop, Everywhere

This book offers a ticket to an incredible journey. A ride on the empathy express, an invitation to understand a life that may be different from yours, but in its essence, reflects shared human experiences.

 A passage that captures this is, "I am writing because they told me to never start a sentence with because. But I wasn't trying to make a sentence—I was trying to break free." The book fosters empathy, connecting its readers to the shared humanity in the gay community.

The Audacity of the Queer Voice

The power and audacity of the queer voice, the potency of its telling, is an unmistakable heartbeat within Vuong’s novel. It’s an audacious affirmation, loud and proud. As Vuong writes, “I am thinking of beauty again, how some things are hunted because we have deemed them beautiful.

If, relative to the history of our planet, an individual life is so short, a blink of an eye as they say, then to be gorgeous, even from the day you’re born to the day you die, is to be gorgeous only briefly.” It's a validation, a claim to one’s right to exist and to be seen, to be acknowledged as beautiful.

A Novel of Many Layers: Unmasking Complexity

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is an onion of a novel. It reveals its many layers as you peel them back, each layer rich with its own flavors, its own textures, its own stories. It speaks of race, identity, sexuality, and socio-economic class, all tightly interwoven into a single life story.

"We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children," Vuong quotes, drawing attention to the intergenerational narrative embedded within the text.

Aesthetics of Pain and Survival

This book explores the aesthetics of pain, and more importantly, survival. As the protagonist navigates through his life, he learns to turn his wounds into wisdom. As Vuong puts it, “Survival is nothing more than recovery.” Such a simple sentence, yet so profound. A testament to the resilience inherent in the human spirit.

The Not-So-Simple Act of Witnessing

Reading this novel is like being a silent witness to a myriad of human experiences. Vuong invites us to witness the life of his protagonist, and in doing so, encourages us to bear witness to our own lives.

He writes, "I hold the need to live against the need to make. And when they clash, I let the need to make win. It's the only way to stay, to stay alive." It is a gentle reminder of the power of storytelling, and its role in preserving and validating our experiences.

Now, put down whatever you're reading, and go get yourself a copy of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. Trust me, it will be worth every moment you spend with it.