From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface , comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei. College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home. Then shocking news Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection. Taipei Story What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous 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 — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

“一直以来，我都告诉自己，我们都是战争的产物——但我错了。我们都是美的产物。” —————————— ◆艾略特奖、怀丁奖、麦克阿瑟天才奖得主王鸥行基于个人经历的书信体小说。 ◆一经出版便震惊文坛，荣登《纽约时报》畅销榜。 ◆是2019年权威媒体年度选书上榜最多的小说之一。 2020年美国国家图书奖 2020年马克吐温美国之声文学奖 2019年麦克阿瑟天才奖 2019年新英格兰书商协会奖 入围2020年笔会/福克纳小说奖 入围2019年美国国家图书奖 入围2019年卡内基文学奖 入围2019年ASPEN WORDS文学奖 《纽约客》年度选书 《时代周刊》年度选书 《华盛顿邮报》年度选书 《洛杉矶时报》年度选书 《卫报》年度选书 《泰晤士报》年度选书 《观察家报》年度选书 《出版人周刊》年度选书 《科克斯书评》年度选书 《爱尔兰独立报》年度选书 《多伦多星报》年度选书 …… ◆一位西贡少年的成长回忆录与家族辛酸史 ◆一场对亲情、种族、阶级、性别和自我认同残酷而坦率的探索 ◆内容简介◆ 我是小狗。 名字是外祖母兰给我起的。在兰长大的那个村子，人们会给像我一样过于瘦弱的孩子起个贱名来护身。名字薄如空气，但也可作盾牌。小狗盾牌。 我和母亲、外祖母因战事而逃离到美国。我脱下我们的母语，戴上我的英语，像一副面具，好让别人能看到我的脸，进而再看到她们的。 我正以人子的身份给母亲写信。我有好多话想对她讲。回忆往事，还有那个未说出口的秘密。因为我不想在还没说出自己是谁的时候就被抹去。 ◆名人及媒体推荐◆ 用“启发、震撼、迫切、必要”来形容这本书是恰如其分的，但是萦绕我脑海挥之不去的是“赤裸”：其中的情感就是这么有力，读完后你会觉得它直刮骨髓。王鸥行以诗人的精准审视：经验诉诸文字能否成为贯通数代伤口的桥梁，又否能被我们真正的挚爱之人听见看见。──伍绮诗，《无声告白》作者 此书不是“短暂绚烂”，而是“永恒惊艳”。——《华盛顿邮报》 令人卸除伪装的掏心挖肺，堪称精练的字句与风格。——《书页》