On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2020
FINALIST FOR THE PEN/FAULKNER AWARD 2020

** The Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller **

Brilliant, heartbreaking and highly original, Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling.

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.

'A masterpiece' — MAX PORTER
'Luminous, shattering, urgent, necessary' — CELESTE NG