US EditionBook Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in ‘The Emperor of Gladness’
- Ocean Vuong released The Emperor of Gladness, a novel centered on Hai and his care for 81-year-old Grazina in East Gladness, Connecticut.
- Vuong drew heavily on his life, including Hai's family fleeing the Vietnam War and working in service jobs that barely sustained them.
- The novel opens with an omniscient narrator showing scenes of decay before focusing on Hai’s low point and his deal to house Grazina, who has dementia.
- The book, named Oprah’s latest book club pick, tells its story through snippets that reveal complex relationships and events with profound impacts.
- The Emperor of Gladness offers a gritty, intimate look at human moments and invites readers to contemplate life’s complexities and the possibility of mutual salvation or destruction.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Washington Top News
Book Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in ‘The Emperor of Gladness’
Hai is 19 and suicidal. Grazina is 81 and living alone with dementia. So when she strikes a deal to house him so they can keep each other company in exchange for his help as a kind of unofficial live-in nurse, this could spell their mutual salvation or destruction. Ocean Vuong’s new novel follows Hai as he takes care of Grazina and works in a fast-casual restaurant to help support them. Told in moments, “The Emperor of Gladness” takes existentia…
Daily News-Record
Book Review: Ocean Vuong takes existentialism to deeply intimate level in 'The Emperor of Gladness'
Hai is 19 and suicidal. Grazina is 81 and living alone with dementia. She strikes a deal to house him in exchange for his help as a kind of live-in nurse. Ocean Vuong’s new novel follows Hai as he takes…
'The Emperor of Gladness' is a beautiful novel about hard work and found family - TPR: The Public's Radio
Ocean Vuong's sweeping new novel centers on a depressed 19-year-old college dropout who becomes the caregiver to a widow with dementia. The post ‘The Emperor of Gladness’ is a beautiful novel about hard work and found family appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.
Going Home, Wherever That Is: On "The Emperor of Gladness" by Ocean Vuong - Chicago Review of Books
Ocean Vuong is one of my favorite novelists, because he is a poet. His long-anticipated sophomore novel, The Emperor of Gladness is an admirable compliment to his resume of work and widens his stance as an artist that continues to provide irreplaceable commentary on American life, speaking not to his readers, but through. I am left with the memories of my old coworkers, and the lost rhythm of our rapport on a busy Saturday night. I am thinking o…
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