Ocean Vuong, a Vietnamese-American poet and author, published his second poetry collection in 2022. His collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds touches on relatable themes such as melancholia, death, and war. He stands out as a very intense and profound writer; the majority of his work centers around familial relationships, grief, and sadness. In addition, the collection as a whole is very unique and different due to its style and use of prose.
Vuong’s style of poetry is unlike most that I have read. A few of his poems are written with the lines alternating different sides of the page. While this is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, it does not make much sense when reading and can become confusing. Most of the work is free verse, especially “Notebook Fragments”. This poem is composed of random thoughts. While it is very all over the place, it does bring you closer to the author due to its oversharing nature. One thing that is important to note is the author’s voice. Vuong writes with a very pretentious tone which may not be the most accessible for readers. At times, the style in which he writes and organizes the stanzas can be confusing. As a result of this, sometimes the imagery loses meaning and makes little sense to the reader.
Understanding is a big part of reading poetry. I noticed the need for more context and explanation early on in this collection. While many of his poems made sense, several left me questioning their main theme. This was predominantly seen in poems like “Trojan” and “A Little Closer to the Edge”. With lines like: “ A flash, a white / asterisk. Look / how he dances. The bruise-blue wallpaper peeling / into hooks as he twirls, his horse / -head shadow thrown on the family / portraits, glass cracking beneath / its stain,” it is difficult to discern what the author is trying to communicate. Other poems, such as “Telemachus” and “Aubade with Burning City” paint images in your head, lending you a more pleasant reading experience. In the poem “Aubade with Burning City”, he mixes in a Christmas song to represent Operation Frequent Wind, an evacuation of American civilians and Vietnamese refugees during the fall of Saigon. Before this poem, I had not dipped my toes into anything like this, yet now I can see myself seeking out poetry that will leave me with similar feelings. Although several of his themes were difficult to navigate, they do touch upon topics that are more relatable to the vast majority.
The bulk of this collection focused on themes of death, war, melancholia, and immense sorrow. This is Ocean Vuong’s style and is seen across his other works. He does a good job of communicating this feeling throughout the poems even with the different focal points of each one. He does this mostly through the use of descriptive language and intentional word choice. After sitting with several of the poems for a few days, I have noticed that I like them more than when I first read them. I mostly attribute this to the consistency and cohesiveness of the themes involved in the collection.
Overall, Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds collection is unique. It is filled with different topics while still having the same overarching idea. While it is not my favorite collection, I can acknowledge the talent and effort that was put into this piece of work. I would not advise this anthology for anyone new to poetry, as it is not the most accessible piece, but I believe that Ocean Vuong has a very strong voice and has found his niche. With this in mind, this collection should be very popular for those interested in sad, pretentious poetry.
Hi friends! My name is Ava Gladdin, and I am a second-year Journalism student minoring in Professional Writing at Kennesaw State University. I spend most of my free time reading, listening to music, and hanging out with my cat, Meow. I am passionate about writing and hope to pursue a career in the publishing industry after I graduate!
Favorite book: The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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