A few years ago, I came across On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Vietnamese-American author Ocean Vuong’s Literary debut. Beforehand, he wrote poetry, which I didn’t read. I tried said novel in Dutch but had a hard time pushing through because of the audiobook narrator. I found myself enjoying the English edition way more and even though I didn’t give it the full 5 stars, this book stuck with me. So, when I found out about Vuong’s newest body of work, The Emperor of Gladness, I knew I wanted to read it. Was this just as hard of a slap in the face as On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous?

About the book

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
Published by Penguin on May 13, 2025
Pages: 402
ISBN: 9780593831878
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, General fiction, Literary fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐,5

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.

My review

Expectations

Whereas On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous didn’t get the highest rating, it still left a mark. I keep mentioning it to other bloggers and include it in multiple lists. So, you could say that it sticks with me. I expected no less from this new book. I wanted to read it in English but noticed quite quickly that this wasn’t the best fit for me. In order to fully understand it, I decided to grab a Dutch copy and read that one instead. My expectations were quite high, because I knew that I would have to step out of my comfort zone and take on this challenge. The author incorporated his Vietnamese roots into the story, which is set in the Hartford area, where he grew up.

Characters

Main character Hai is a complex character. He has many strugles, but seems to bury his head in the sand instead of trying to find a solution. He lacks decisiveness and a good support system whereas he is an only child, and his mom doesn’t speak English at all. This leaves his marks and influences his doability as he hardly has any role models. Furthermore, he endured a lot in the past that still impacts him to this day. Vuong mentions this, but it seems Hai’s character is more layered than is shown here. What is directly visible however, are his struggles with drug abuse. He tries to withdraw from these substances, but he doesn’t get the help he needs once again. This is pretty sad as nobody sees him for what he really is. He is ashamed of himself, his addiction and his incapability (and maybe even unwillingness) to take all the chances he gets offered, that he has to lie to his mom to make her feel proud of him. He wants to hide his troubles and his seemingly hopeless future for her. This novel sheds a painful light on the hopelessness of many USA citizens, which we hardly see in media coverage about. Especially not internationally. When Hai takes on a job at a local restaurant, we quickly get introduced to multiple side characters with their own troulles. Even though it doesn’t seem likely at first, this diverse cast of characters works out really well in the end as they bring out the best in each other.

Writing and Plot

This novel is unsuitable for the less experienced reader. The author tells us a lot, by not telling us everything. Much information in the plot is retrieved by reading between the lines. This applies to both Hai’s and fellow main character Grazina’s past. Grazina suffers from dementia and gets episodes in which she is convinced she is back in Lithuania, and that she has to flee for the Nazis during WWII. It’s remarkable how Hai picks up on this and plays along to make Grazina feel “safe”. Through these heartbreaking episodes, we slowly get a deeper insight in Grazina’s story. Vuong uses flashbacks to elaborate Hai’s past as well. These are necessary to get a better understanding of his character and the choices he has to make. This story is one you hope has a happy ending and that the characters find their luck in life. Especially for Hai, you can only hope he gets rid of the drugs and he can finally live a happy life.

Vuong’s writing style is best described as flowery. Due to the rich language, it is recommended to read this book in your native language first when English isn’t your mother tongue. This way you’re able to get familiar with the story, which probably makes the English version hit harder when you’re ready for it. This story is raw and doesn’t shy away from the ugly truth. This novel is thought-provoking because of its deeper layers and the fact that nothing is pre-chewed without thought. You have to discover a lot yourself when reading. It therefore is not intriguing straight away. It needs time to simmer. The flashbacks follow each other in quick succession and therefore the ability to quickly switch is required in order to understand the story properly and get the most out of it. Admittedly, this is confusing at the start.

Final thoughts

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong is not your typical book to read for relaxation or if you want to have a bite sized quick read. This story is raw and doesn’t shy away from the ugly truth of American society. For me this was eye-opening since I’m international and the media most likely doesn’t cover the truths the author discusses here. The characters are complex and have a lot of struggles, such as alcohol and drug abuse. Hopelessness is looming. The author elaborates these characters and their struggles in depth, by using a lot of show, don’t tell. You have to read a lot between the lines. It is therefore required to be able to switch quickly as there are a lot of flashbacks used. Furthermore, the language used is flowery and rich. This story therefore doesn’t intrigue straight away. If you are up for a literary challenge, this novel hits hard. But give it some time.