On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Vuong
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ocean Vuong's debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, opens up as a deeply moving letter to his illiterate mother, but by the end, we realize that this is more of a letter to himself, to us, to the powers that be, to all of mankind, and to the past. In this relatively short memoir/novel, Ocean encapsulates some of the rawest wisdom I have ever encountered, all while developing his own definition of humanity by reliving (and reshaping) his past. 

I struggled writing this review at first. What else is there to say other than that it is one of the most profound pieces of writing I have had the pleasure of experiencing? What else is there to say other than that this changed my perspective on grief and trauma? 

Admittedly, it took me a while to finish this book. It sat heavy on my heart each time I picked it up. I would read, cry, process, and read again. These pages bleed with trauma, loss, love, but most of all, hope, the kind of hopeless hope that hits you in the chest, leaving you breathless because how do we carry our accumulative corpses if we can't wish for a day in the future where we can set them down? Every time I picked up On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous,  I left with something new and heavy imprinted onto my soul

Subjectively speaking, this is one of the most important novels/memoirs to exist in my opinion. Ocean's pain is substantial and his longing is a longing that I, and many others, can resonate with on an incredibly deep level. Objectively speaking, Ocean's real life experiences spark a discourse on the coexistence of negligence and care, hate and love, authenticity and insincerity - all in the name of survival. Ocean also discusses his relationship with colonialism, sexuality, queerness, drug use, and racism, all while setting a phenomenal example of what effect beautiful prose and lyricism can have on us emotionally. 

This book might be little, but she is fierce - she packs a punch. I would highly recommend any of Ocean's work for the world to read. His is a voice that belongs to an entire generation and I believe also to a future literary legend. I adore him just as I adored this book. 

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is, in its own right, a coming of age story. We meet Vern freshly after her escape from Cainland - an all-Black cult focused on unlearning and undoing all of the colonization and violence of White Supremacy, both in the past and present. She is 15 years old and giving birth whilst hiding in a forest from a hunter known as the Fiend, whose orders are to drag her back to Cainland, dead or alive. We follow Vern’s journey from child, to mother, to refugee, and finally - to warrior. 

Sorrowland is a story unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It is brutal, romantic, violent, warm, and full of love. There is so much to unpack about this story. Sorrowland offers up so many takeaways regarding race, sexual identity, and gender norms. 

It was incredibly refreshing to read a story with these topics interwoven and spoken about with pure honesty. Rivers Solomon didn’t sugarcoat the very serious and real struggles that POC and LGBTQIA people face on a daily basis. Sorrowland sinks its teeth into these topics and it draws blood. There are so many themes of abuse in Vern’s story. Sometimes it is approached in a subtle manner and other times it’s right in your face, but what is most compelling is the influence of the violence that our systems/people in power commit daily against Black people, both metaphorically and literally. 

Vern’s story is one that left a mark on me. There are metaphysical moments scattered through this story, but it is indeed a real story that takes place in front of blind eyes every single day. This story is one of perseverance and strength. Rivers Solomon is a genius and their talent in storytelling is one I hope will continue to bless us in the future. Don’t ignore this gem of a novel! I highly recommend it!

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by Adam Cesare

Clown in a Cornfield 2:
Frendo Lives
by Adam Cesare
⭐⭐⭐

It is the one year anniversary of the Kettle Springs' Massacre and Quinn is finally adjusting to her new life as a trauma survivor. As is customary to most horror sequels, an anniversary is an invitation for all hell to break loose! Frendo lives - and a lot of people die.

This was a pretty successful sequel! I loved catching up with our cast of heroes - Quinn, Rust, Cole, and Quinn's father. Fast paced and a wild ride, I really enjoyed the changes that took place in this story compared to the first book. The new Frendos and their reasons to commit such murderous carnage was unique and creative! 

I definitely have a few criticisms however! The horror and slasher qualities of the first story didn't really exists in this sequel. I feel like the original story had more of a sense of humor about the dramatized gore - it knew exactly the kind of book it was. This time around, it seems like Adam Cesare took a more serious, realistic approach. This isn't a terrible thing, but I definitely missed that in this story. I also wasn't a fan of the character development throughout the story. I felt like some of the decisions made by certain characters didn't feel authentic to those characters. The ending was also rushed and predictable, although it was still enjoyable!

I adored the new characters we meet in Frendo Lives as well! Jerri in particular was one of the best parts of this book in my opinion! Overall, despite the few criticisms I have, I thought this sequel was fun and very politically aware. It was a page turner for sure and I had the best time reading it!

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

 *TRIGGER WARNINGS* sexual assault, gore, death, themes of violence, child abuse, substance abuse

Her Body and Other Parties
by Carmen Maria Machado 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Her Body and Other Parties is one of the best collections of short stories that I've ever read. Generally speaking, I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but every so often I feel the urge to read a collection like this. To say that I enjoyed this book would be a massive understatement!

Her Body is every surrealist, horror obsessed feminist's fever dream. These stories bleed divine femme energy in the most amazing way, though there are definitely many trigger warnings that go alone with this book. 

At times cathartic, healing, powerful, disturbing, empowering, violent, subtle, loud, magical, unapologetic, and philosophical - these stories are so unique and refreshing. Not to mention the prose!! The prose in these pages was astounding and breathtaking, I annotated this book to death. 

Her Body and Other Parties is very dark and intense. It's not at all for the faint of heart. If you like fem lit, horror, or disturbing surrealism, this comes highly recommended from me! I've never read anything quite like this before and I loved every second of it!