Time Is A Mother – Ocean Vuong
Last year Ocean Vuong skyrocketed to the top of my authors to watch list after I was enthralled by his first novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” While that book was in its own way a type of poetry — lyrical and raw — I had never read one of his “formal” collections.
Previous readers of Vuong know he’s a writer that requires concentration and reflection. He’s skilled at drawing comparisons between things that seem disconnected — specifically when he’s exploring themes of loss and grief and their various forms — and experiencing how he puts the puzzle together is one of the great pleasures in reading his prose.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but “Mother” felt a bit too avant-garde for this casual reader of poetry and instead of being consumed by his words, I felt they created a wall.
This also may have been due to the eBook format where — deliberate or intentional — natural breaks were missing in several poems, so it was difficult to find the cadence of his words and where one idea ended an another began.
There were several poems I read many times, and I’m still not sure if I experienced them as intended. This one might be better as an audiobook — even though I usually find poetry works best when you can sit with it.
Although, Vuong shows more humor and personality in the ways he plays with language, know it is a HEAVY collection. I could only read about 15 or 20-pages at time before needing to put it down.
The standouts:
Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker: At first, I wasn’t sure how the shopping cart of an online retailer could make for riveting reading, but the subtle changes in the order history as cancer ravages the body of our shopper — likely Vuong’s mother, Rose — became a heartbreaking documentation of preparing for death. I hadn’t thought of online shopping as a record of life, but that’s exactly what it is.
American Legend: A memory of the only time a father and son truly connected at one of the worst moments of their lives.
Beautiful Short: Vuong uses off-kilter humor to explore gender, identity and the times life works in your favor and the tragedy when it doesn’t.
I was also drawn to “Dear Peter” and “Nothing,” where Vuong explores the nuances of a long-term relationship and “Not Even” and “The Last Prom Queen in Antarctica,” which offer a be careful what you wish for perspective of success.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: April 5 – April 7, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
