The Emperor of Gladness
Magnetic
Contemplative
Emotional

The Emperor of Gladness A NOVEL

Ocean Vuong2025
Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to transform Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community on the brink. Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong’s writing—formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness—are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.
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Photo of Essence
Essence@iridessence
3.5 stars
Aug 28, 2025
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ellie 💐💌⭐️@elliebennett
4.5 stars
Aug 18, 2025
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biddy@silksparrow
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shen@shen
4 stars
Jun 15, 2025
Profound
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Zainab @znybaa1
4.5 stars
Jun 3, 2025
Meaningful
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Mar@somosmareas
3 stars
May 30, 2025
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jul@solarpqwer
5 stars
Aug 23, 2025
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Erin Goss@erinmg22
5 stars
Aug 21, 2025
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Lynn@lynnchen
4 stars
Aug 9, 2025
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Abigail Swallow@abigail
5 stars
Jul 25, 2025
Pure
Emotional
Contemplative
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mia@live2alove
4 stars
Jul 1, 2025
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Lindsay@schnurln
5 stars
Jun 5, 2025
Dark
Honest
Magnetic
Beautiful
Emotional
Extraordinary
Contemplative
Thought provoking
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marta@mrt
4.5 stars
May 29, 2025
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Ellie Younger@ellierose2000
5 stars
Mar 13, 2025
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Emma Younger@emmarain
5 stars
Feb 16, 2025
Vivid
Magnetic
Compelling
Page turning

Highlights

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