“It feels weird that Little Dog is writing a graphic sex scene in a letter to his mother.”
Now, I understand that this is a pretty divisive book and Ocean Vuong didn’t write it to appeal to everyone. I can understand most criticisms but whenever I see someone say this in our groupchat, it irritates me.
It’s not LITERALLY a letter to his mother. Little Dog and his mother have a very strained relationship and even though she’s physically abusive and emotionally distant, he still continues to love her and craves a relationship with her. They can never fully understand each other because of their pasts and traumas. He can’t even talk about his sexuality on a surface level and everything he’s writing is everything he wishes he could be open about.
People complaining about the graphic sex scene, I can understand, but I disagree completely with. Some people say it was way too graphic and unnecessary to the story, but on the other hand, it’s him trying to figure out his sexuality in a society that’s not open about this at all. I’ve read romance novels just as graphic, if not more, and most people don’t blink an eye. I believe the uncomfortableness comes from a lack of representation and understanding of intimacy between gay men, and I think it was completely necessary for his story (both Little Dog and Vuong). But again, not everyone is comfortable with graphic scenes in anything, so I get that.
Not everyone has to like this book, but hearing people talk about the “letter to mother” criticism just makes me roll my eyes.
by yenvyma