The Emperor of Gladness: Oprah’s Book Club: A Novel

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The instant New York Times bestseller • Oprah’s Book Club Pick • Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive
“Stunning . . . A heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society, and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive.” —Oprah Winfrey
“Magnificent . . . In writing this book, Vuong may have joined the ranks of an elite few great novelists.” —Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times
The hardest thing in the world is to live only once…
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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Read more from Ocean Vuong
A bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive Ocean Vuong’s debut novel about the power of telling one’s story and the obliterating silence of not being heard. Written as a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before the son was born In this deeply intimate second poetry collection, Ocean Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of personal and social loss, embodying the paradox of sitting in grief while being determined to survive beyond it

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 13, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 059383187X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593831878
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.29 x 9.51 inches

Customers say

Customers find this novel to be a soaring and unforgettable read, with writing that is as beautiful as the story is profound. The book features an unusual narrative that draws readers in, and they appreciate its emotional depth through introspective moments. Customers describe the book as touching and powerful, with one review noting how it brings tears to the eyes. The character development receives mixed reactions from customers.

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