The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong - 4 stars

[Joy D]

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong - 4* - My Review

Set in (fictional) East Gladness, Connecticut, The Emperor of Gladness is a “slice of life” story that features three primary characters living on the edge of poverty. Protagonist Hai is contemplating suicide when he meets an older Lithuanian widow, Grazina, who is suffering from dementia. She invites him inside her home, and he becomes her caretaker. Hai works at a homestyle restaurant with his neurodivergent cousin, Sony, and crew of other quirky characters, who become a composite family.

Themes include regrets, second chances, belonging, memories, and healing. It is a bittersweet story of both the uplifting aspects (friendship, compassion, kindness, acceptance) and darker sides of life (addiction, mental decline, loneliness, self-harm). I enjoyed the cross-generational friendship between Hai and Grazina. The prose is a bit unusual, especially regarding similes and metaphors, perhaps due to the author’s background as a poet. I am at a loss to explain his penchant for including gruesome animal-related scenes in his books (both this one and his debut), which I could have done without. It is not a cheery story, but there are moments of tenderness.

[Booknblues]

I've been wondering about this. In some ways it sounds as if I would like it more than On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.

[Joy D]

I liked it more than his debut. It has more of a storyline, and if you enjoy stories of "found families" it definitely works.