I have this habit of researching an author before or during the time when am reading their work. So, you'll find me scouring the depths of the Internet hours on end getting lost in articles, podcast interviews & YouTube videos of authors talking about what they have written.

''I would hope that readers approach the book, read it, and not necessarily take anything away, not possess anything, but perhaps just more of themselves. If they could see more of themselves in the book and they can carry that and participate in more parts of their lives than before…''Ocean Vuong in a interview that I found on YouTube talking about this book.

This book is a letter written by a son to his mother who cannot read & through this letter 'Little Dog', the writer is on a self-discovery journey about himself but also about his family whose life journey starts in Vietnam to America as they build a new life in their new country. Ocean Vuong is a poet who writes beautifully & after watching his interview, I felt like he had given me permission to simply enjoy reading his book without seeking to understand every single word that he wrote. Believe me, the struggle was real