The Emperor of Gladness

Ocean Vuong’s novel is set in a fading Connecticut town, where a directionless young man named Hai forms an unexpected bond with Grazina, an elderly widow with dementia whom he begins to care for. Working a dead-end fast-food job and haunted by his own losses, Hai finds meaning in tending to another. Tender and lyrical, the book is about labor, memory, addiction, and chosen family.