The first poem named "Oculus", after the book's title, concerns a 2014 incident in which a suicide in Shanghai was virally documented on an Instagram account, which Mao herself saw while scrolling on the social media platform.

In a conversation with Jenny Xie for The Margins, Mao noted the difficulty of writing from the perspectives of others: "Using the first person to take on the voice of a historical figure or anyone else beyond the immediate self is audacious, and it carries responsibility."

[3] In an interview for the Center for Asian American Media, Mao shared that she had watched several films to research for the book, including The Toll of the Sea, Shanghai Express, Limehouse Blues, and others.

"[11] The Los Angeles Review of Books concluded that "Mao’s poems in Oculus ask what technologies already shape our vision of the world and how they might be disassembled in order for new lives to be forged from their parts.

"[16] Hyperallergic said "It is to Mao’s credit that she never seeks refuge in the single identity, no matter what comfort it promises, because she knows it limits her in ways that she finds unacceptable.

"[17] The Bind wrote: "In addition to its critical visions, much of the heart of this collection lies ... in the possibility that women of color can defy time and script to write to and for each other.