Vuong’s writing never fails to be immersive and rich, this story of unconventional people living below average lives is an example of this. Hai, a drug addict who is suicidal comes to meet Grazina, an elderly woman who has Alzheimer’s and is alone stops Hai’s plot of throwing himself of a bridge and offers her home and company in exchange for keeping her company and helping her with daily tasks. The novel that unfolds is a slice of life, the philosophical in the mundane, an exploration of people who aren’t diabolical but also aren’t extraordinary. The element of found family, and picking yourself up from the gutter is achieved so brilliantly and without leaving the reader bored either. Truly fantastic and heartwarming.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was beautiful ❤️ So well written and so many beautiful quotes. Tissues were needed for this one as a lot of tears were shed. The way the characters were written was exquisite and they’re the type that I will always be thinking about.
I cannot wait to read more by this author

"The hardest thing in the world is to live only once."

Magical. I am so glad I get to read this book this year. This book, and this is what I love about reading, grounds me. Instantly. If you, like me, feel increasingly agitated with everyday pressure and the deteriorating state of the world, reading this book feels like a soothing balm. This book gets into that “books that I wanted to give to everyone I know” list. You get the picture.

It’s a story about friendship, yes, you got that from the blurb. But I guess more than that, it’s about being there for your people, even when it’s tough, especially when it’s tough.

"When he was younger, Hai had wanted a bigger life. Instead he got the life that won't let him go."

The lost and depressed nineteen-year-old Hai met the seventy-two-year-old Grazina, who is succumbing to dementia in an abandoned old flat. Based on that, you would think that they don’t have much to give, really, but they do. And so does Hai’s little family in his diner job. Each and every one of the characters struggles in their own way, manages through their shifts, losing people they love in their lives, failed attempts at their dreams, and still, they are there for each other.

"I wish I knew you long ago. We would’ve helped each other. Wouldn’t we?"

Some books make you cry with the hardships that the characters endure. This book has some of that too, but the parts that absolutely wrecked me most are those that are just about kindness.

"Tu esi mano draugas."

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House for the ARC.. Thank you Ocean Vuong for sharing this story.

'The Emperor of Gladness' is a sublime, radiant novel about moments of grace, tenderness and human connection amidst life's hardships. Hai is a college dropout who, at the start of the novel, plans to throw himself off a bridge in his hometown of East Gladness, Connecticut as he has nowhere else to turn, when he meets Grazina, an elderly Lithuanian widow. The unexpected bonds that Hai forms with Grazina and with his new coworkers at HomeMarket, the fast food restaurant where he starts working, provide him with hope and a sense of purpose in spite of the many challenges they face - addiction, dementia, poverty, family estrangement and incarceration.

This novel often reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver's magnificent 'Demon Copperhead' in the way it lays bare so many uncomfortable truths about life in America and yet retains a sense of life's beauty even in the most unlikely settings, as "among a pile of salvaged trash, [Hai] would come closest to all he ever wanted to be". This beauty is found in the fictions that Hai and Grazina create together when she believes she is back in Lithuania during WW2 and especially in the descriptions of working at HomeMarket: "These people, bound by nothing but toil in a tiny kitchen, paid just above minimum wage, their presence known to each other mostly through muscle memory, the shape of their bodies ingrained in the psyche from hours of periphery maneuvering through the narrow counters and back rooms of a fast-food joint designed by a corporate architect, so that they would come to know the sound of each other's coughs and exhales better than those of their kin and loved ones."

It is also a novel about American dreams and aspirations and how these are so often unfulfilled. Vuong writes particularly movingly about the immigrant communities, whether through Hai's Vietnamese family and the expectations his mother places on him, or Grazina's experiences as part of a previous generation. As the examples in the previous paragraph hopefully show, the prose is stunning, and I found this to be an exceptionally powerful novel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

there is something only true honesty can bring to a book. there is some things that only take the harshness of truth to be told. but there is something that rips at your heart in that honesty. and grips your soul in that honesty. but somehow is so horribly beautiful in that honesty. this book took me in and wouldnt let go. it just had my emotions in a tangled web. i did even have to pace myself so i could sit back and reflect. yes i did some literal sit back in my seat moments. just wow. the things is i know my reviews are brilliant. i know my vocab doesnt add weight ever to what i want to say. and so i feel anything i go on to say would do this author a disservice. but just wow. thank you for books like this and the talents that share them with us. we are truly lucky to read books. to read talent. to read such books like this we are lucky lucky indeed.

Easily one of the best books I’ve read this year, The Emperor of Gladness is a poetic story about chosen family and beautiful friendship. On a late summer evening, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in East Gladness, Connecticut, intending to jump, when he’s stopped by the voice of a woman coming from across the river. It’s the voice of Grazina, an elderly widow with dementia, and she convinces him not to jump. The Emperor of Gladness cycles through their year together as they develop a life-bonding relationship. Beautifully human and wistfully poetic at every turn, Vuong has created a tender ode to the love and loneliness of everyday American life. The characters are excellent and wonderfully brought to life, and I found myself wondering what each was up to, long after turning the final page. (I’d originally rated this 4.5 stars, but I’ve bumped it to the full 5-star rating after penning my thoughts.)

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the arc.
This is one of those books where I really struggled to know what rating to give it. Vuong’s writing style is very readable: poetic, lyrical, in places gripping and heart-wrenching. He has an ability to expertly draw the reader into a locale and give a solid sense of place, and his ability to create and craft characters with distinct voices and personalities is superb - the scene in the slaughterhouse will stay with me for a long time!
So for writing style and ability I would have given this a 4.5.
Unfortunately for me the book was failed by the actual ‘plot’ and based on that alone I would have given it 3 stars. The first 30% or so was gripping. I was quickly drawn into the story of Hai, a 19 year old college dropout-out who is contemplating taking his own life until interrupted by elderly dementia sufferer Grazina, and the depiction of the bond that develops between them and a supporting cast of characters over the next 12 months was beautifully done. If Vuong had contained his ambitions a little then I think this could have been a profound and moving book. Unfortunately (again), it felt like the author intended this to be an epic story (think Demon Copperhead) and tried to cram too much into this work,to the detriment of the whole. We have the experience of immigrants to the US, addiction, the crisis in elder care, the evils of Capitalism, blue-collar/working class struggles, family vs found-family, race relations, mental-health issues/SEND support etc etc. The result is a book that really loses its way from about half way in,the storyline meanders in a directionless fashion and the scenes veer wildly from (in the best passages) heart-wrenching, to (in the worst) bathos.

An author to watch, but, for me, this was a frustrating read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I loved On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, so I was excited to read this follow up novel.

I found this book to be like a more plotty, fleshed out version of OEWBG. There are similarities in the character of the MC and his estranged relationship with his mother, but where OEWBG is more poetic train-of-thought ramblings, Gladness has a more developed plot, and moreso explores the MC's relationships with the side characters than with his mother.

I found Gladness to be an easier read, with the narration being more straightforward and linear, although I did miss the rambling narration of OEWBG.

Although Gladness covers a lot of the same ground as OEWBG, I think it is worth it to give Gladness a read if you have read OEWBG, or vice versa, at least to compare how each book tackles the same themes. Also, I realise that this review is basically just me comparing the two books, but I do think they go hand in hand.

Anyway, I found this novel powerful and moving and y'all should give it a read.

The Emperor of Gladness was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Ocean Vuong has such a beautiful command of language, as well as a deep understanding of what it means to be human. This was a realistic, emotional, and compelling novel and one of my top reads of the past few years.

In The Emperor of Gladness, Vuong presents a poignant character study following a cast who are all dealing with their own problems. With the backdrop of a fast food restaurant, there are raw, emotional moments alongside true moments of joy and companionship. To be able to capture the ordinary lives of ordinary people in such vibrancy is a triumph.

During reading, I found myself highlighting numerous passages. It is always incredible to stumble across my own intangible feelings put down into words by someone else. This happened a lot, and I felt experiences of Ocean Vuong shining through the plot, too. I felt attached to the characters and completely immersed in their lives as I lived beside them. This novel is deeply personal, and I was so sad to leave East Gladness behind.

Ocean is a deeply considerate writer. Measured yet breathtaking The Emporer of Gladness is as stunning as anything which came before.

I'm so grateful to have been sent this advanced copy. This book is beautiful. Sad, compassionate, honest. I felt very held by it. I was worried it would feel too heavy, but this book brought so much lightness to dark things, and showed people as they are. I loved every character, all with their own stuff and sadness and hopes and disappointment. This was the first Ocean Vuong I've read - but I'll be immediately diving into the rest of his work.

This book is a masterpiece.
Admittedly I had lofty expectations after On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous, but this book exceeded them. A haunting, hopeful, timely, and poetic novel in Vuong's signature lyrical prose. I expect to see The Emperor of Gladness on multiple upcoming literary prize lists.

The Emperor of Gladness centres on individuals living on the socioeconomic fringes of American society (the working class, the elderly, the queer community, immigrants, etc.). The novel follows Hai, a Vietnamese-American college dropout who resides in the small town of East Gladness. Whilst contemplating suicide, an old woman suffering from dementia, Grazina, urges him to reconsider jumping from a bridge. Hai then becomes Grazina's caretaker in exchange for food and shelter, and the two form an unlikely bond.

The characters are beautifully written, well-developed, and complex in a way that feels incredibly human. Hai is a particularly memorable character who stays with you long after you finish the book.

Perhaps most importantly, this book reasserts how human connections, caretaking, and mutual aid can build solidarity amidst the precarity of late-stage capitalism. All we really have is each other.

I will be recommending this to everyone I know. So apt, especially given this uncertain,divisive political climate.

A huge thank you to Penguin for the Netgalley Arc!

I will also review this on my Tiktok (hopefully more articulately) in due course.

Despite the main character being of Vietnamese ethnicity, 'Emperor of Gladness' feels very much like a love letter to small town America. Hai is a college dropout and drug addict, too ashamed to admit to his mother that he is not studying medicine in Boston. He considers taking his own life before being stopped by an eccentric widow and Holocaust survivor, Grazina, who is suffering from dementia. She offers him a home, and in time he gets a job at a diner in the down-at-heel Connecticut town of East Gladness. The rest of the book is about the following year, his triumphs and tragedies, and those of his colleagues.

It is a strongly evocative book and really summons up an image of the small, poor American town and the people who live there. Hai's colleagues live on the edge of society - they don't have a lot of luck in their lives, and the work hard for low wages. Their dreams are incredibly modest and yet also near unattainable for them. I think that's the heartbreaking part - they wanted so little, such simple things. Most are working to support at least one relative in difficult circumstances - a sister in rehab, a mother in jail. Sony, Hai's younger autistic cousin, is a really loveable character, and I also really liked the restaurant manager BJ who dreams of being a wrestler.

It isn't the fastest paced of novels, and the writing is quite prose-heavy. It's not a good choice for people who prefer thrillers or plot driven stories. I kept hoping/expecting for something more significant to happen than ever did. But I did love the characters and the setting is very well described. If you prefer your novels character driven and evocative than plot centred and pacey, you will likely enjoy this.

What a BOOK. I would be so surprised if I get to the end of the year having read a better book than this one. The tenderness of the unconventional relationship of the protagonists is such a delight to read, how they care and think about each other’s needs so delicately despite their own difficulties and build something beautiful. Read this book, you will not regret it.

This book may have already taken top spot for my favourite book of the year... It's heartwarming, it's hilarious, it's tragic and unbelievably beautiful. Ocean Vuong's narrative follows Hai, who is talked of a bridge by Grazina, an elderly lady who lives by the river. They strike up a friendship and in doing so save both of their lives. Vuong's writing is poetic and beautiful, weaving a narrative where ultimately not a huge amount happens, but which completely enthralled me. I found myself swept up in the small town life and cared deeply for each and every character (but especially for Sony). Unsurprisingly, the writing is what engaged me most in Vuong's narrative, it's clever and funny and just so, so, brilliant and I will be recommending this to everyone from now on.

Ocean Vuong try not to make me cry challenge...

I'm endlessly astounded by the way Ocean Vuong is able to put the aching, joyousness and mundanity of being human in a way that feels as melancholic and raw as it does beautiful, and this was absolutely no different. The Emperor of Gladness is an astounding story on two people living on the fringes of society (the elderly and the young adult) and how their differences are exactly what make them similar.

This broke my heart as much as it did mend it and it's one I'll be thinking about forever. The characters in all of their flaws and heart-warming moments, the found family, the discussions surrounding addiction and what it means to want to continue living were all PHENOMENAL. Also paired with the absolutely BEAUTIFUL writing (when I tell you the last chapter alone is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read!!!) I cannot recommend this enough!

Hai is 19 years old, standing on the edge of a bridge and thinking about jumping. Granzina, an elderly woman with dementia who lives on the river shouts him down. She asks him to move in and help her out a bit. Just for a little while.

I was so pleasantly surprised this was heavier on plot than vibes! I think the relationships made this book. I loved reading about Hai’s shifts at work! What a great bunch of characters. And of course Hai & Granzina made such a wonderful pair.

I will say I thought it was too long. I didn’t feel like Hai’s backstory added much? His characterisation came through so strongly in the present it didn’t seem necessary.

Oh yeah of course this is sad as hell too lol but were you expecting anything else?

This book gripped me from the very first page, I was completely invested in the characters of Hai and Graznia and their unlikely friendship. The prose is beautiful and despite the book dealing with hard hitting subjects it carries you along. It’s a wonderful exploration of loneliness, belonging and community. I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy for myself and gifting it to others.

"It was the kind of day where anything felt possible. As if the charity of the world had tipped, finally, to one side of the rusted scale. The kind of day where you can fill in your scars with Magic Marker and tell yourself you're normal - and it might be true."

I had been really looking forward to reading this book ever since I read a blurb in a magazine. So it was a great excitement to me to be able to read an advanced copy before its publication next week.

The Emperor of Gladness is poetic with beautiful writing in a complicated, unbeautiful world. I loved Hai's interactions with Grazina - an elderly woman facing the complications of dementia, who stopped Hai from jumping off a bridge. Dementia is such an awful disease, but Vuong wrote it with such power and dignity.

The characters are all very complicated people and sometimes I was getting lost with their personalities or in their backstories. I thought the first third of the book was great, but I was kind of bored through the middle bit. It picked up more towards the end and brought my attention back.

Overall, a 4 star read and am curious to read more by Vuong in the future. Thank you Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

at its heart, this book is about learning and sitting with the characters that encapsulate this story, to understand their struggles, all that hai fears, on a deeper level. the emperor of gladness is about humanity's normality, found family, second chances, regret, belonging, wounding and healing, and the memories we live with- happy or sad, whether we want to or not.

"we always belong somewhere, if only to whatever's holding us, and shouldn't that be a good thing? to have your uselessness become a marker of time, waste being the proof of having lived it all?"