The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Book Review

Title: The Emperor of Gladness
Author: Ocean Vuong
Publisher: Penguin Press (US) / Jonathan Cape (UK)
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Year of Publication: 2025
Date of Publication: May 13, 2025
Pages: 416
ISBN‑10: 059383187X
ISBN‑13: 978‑0593831878

Our Rating of This Book

Summary of The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

The Emperor of Gladness follows a 19-year-old man named Hai. The story begins on a bridge on September 15, 2009. Hai is grieving, estranged from his mother, and felt he had run out of options. While walking on the bridge, he felt an overwhelming sense to jump. Instead, he is saved by the voice of a woman named Grazina who calls out to him.

Grazina, who is a much older lady suffering from dementia, invites Hai to stay in a room in her house and encourages him to get a job. She learns that Hai is estranged from his mother, whom he deceives by claiming he’s going to medical school in Boston, even though he already dropped out. Hai in return becomes a caregiver to Grazina.

“…the two strangers found a steady rhythm at 16 Hubbard Street.”— Narrator

With Grazina’s encouragement and through his cousin named Sony, Hai takes up a job at a fast‑casual restaurant called HomeMarket. A lot of the narrative centers on the connection between Grazina and Hai as well as the lives of the co-workers he meets and bonds with at the job.

Main Plot & Characters

Hai: He is a Vietnamese-American who recently got out of rehab. He is teetering on the edge of suicide. He is found standing on a bridge in East Gladness, Connecticut, and is saved by a woman named Grazina. Afterwards, they form a bond that becomes central to the novel.
Grazina: She is an elderly woman (in her eighties). Grazina was born in Lithuanian and suffers from dementia. She is a widow and saves Hai’s life and subsequently invites him into her home on the riverbank. Grazina nicknames Hai “Labas” because it means hello in her country and his name sounds like “hi.”
BJ: She is the store manager at HomeMarket. BJ loves to be seen as an expert and is an aspiring professional wrestler. She has been working on her entrance song for wrestling and chose the stage name Deez Nuts.
Maureen: She is a cashier at HomeMarket. Maureen loves conspiracy theories and is kind of a maternal figure to Hai.
Sony: He is Hai’s cousin. Sony has a fractured skull and lives with an obsession about Confederate generals.
Wayne: He also works at HomeMarket and is the “Chief of Rotiserie.”
Lina: She is Grazina’s daughter and is depicted as an alcoholic.
Lucas: Lucas is Grazina’s son. He works as a pharmacist.
Clara: She is Lucas wife and Grazina’s daughter in law.
Noah: He is Hai’s late friend
Aunt Kim: She is Sony’s mother and Hai’s aunt. She is in prison and Sony tries to raise money for her bail.
Jonas: He was Grazina’s late husband. He died of a stroke.
Sgt. Pepper’s Pizza: The pizza place is next door to HomeMarket and is somewhat of a rival.

Writing Style

Vuong tells the story using a third person narration style. A lot of the story focuses on Hai and his connection to Grazina and the employees at HomeMarket.

So this book starts off really slow and the timeline does not follow any particular order. There are parts you will drift off and wonder what on earth is going on and so you may be tempted to put it down and never pick it back up or pause and never come back to it. But hang in there, the story gets so much better once you get to know Hai and the other employees from HomeMarket.

Then there is Grazina. We loved this character! Grazina’s story is laced with a lot of sadness but is still beautiful. She comes off so wise and loveable. Her story really makes one think about the sacrifices we make for others and how many parents suffer for their children but are somewhat abandoned in old age. It also makes one think about how the time for living is finite.

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong audiobook

Memorable Quotes

By now his lies came so easily, they rolled off his tongue like train cars heading off a cliff.”— Narrator on Hai’s reflections
“Ever heard of a rabbit jumping off a bridge?…of course not. That’s because they have light in them.”— Grazina reflecting on how carrots make you feel.
You wanna be a writer and you want to jump off a bridge. That’s pretty much the same thing, no?— Grazina
“I’m afraid being considerate is not a skill. Not in America. Maybe in the Vatican, if you’re lucky.”— Grazina
“You’re good at observing. And tomorrow you’ll go to town. You’ll go to town and get a job where you can be the most considerate observer this country has ever known.”— Grazina
“At what granular material moment did bread become cake? Or was it always cake, falsely named to amplify bread beyond its potential?”— Grazina
“Okay, so you’re all right. Damn, this sounds…well, it sounds legit. Like,…like that crazy white music.”— Wayne
“I’m like the Steve Jobs of wrestling, you know?”— BJ
“Why would you listen to sad things when you are already sad.”— Sony
“She was the kind of person who would say “You look tired,” her head tilting with feigned concern and mean that you are actually ugly.”— Hai’s reflections about Lucas wife.
“The family leaned forward, rapt, sensing some mild intrigue about to be delivered via exotic anecdote from the cultural source itself.”—Narrator on how Lucas and his family reacted to Hai’s response on why he became a nurse
“People don’t know what’s enough Labas. That’s their problem. They think they suffer, but they’re really just bored.”— Grazina
“You are my friend.”— Grazina

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Book back

Final Thoughts on The Emperor of Gladness

The Emperor of Gladness starts off as a really slow-burn and takes time to unfold but if you are patient, you will find a story with memorable characters and a lot to reflect on. Ocean Vuong crafts a world where broken people find quiet, everyday ways to hold each other together. At the heart of this story is the bond between Hai and Grazina, two people from very different generations and backgrounds, each carrying personal grief, but find solace in each other’s company.

The characters at HomeMarket are quirky, funny, and ordinary people who are just trying to survive. These characters form a kind of patchwork family for Hai, mirroring the central theme of found family versus blood ties. It’s a novel about what it means to survive in a capitalist society, in the mess of family expectations, and in a country that often feels indifferent.

Book Rating

Characters ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Plot ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Writing ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Book Cover ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Audiobook (Narration only) ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Overall ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Have you read The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong?

Authors

Ufuoma Akpotaire
Ufuoma Akpotaire is a passionate book, movie and music reviewer with a love for travel and culture. She combines her enthusiasm for storytelling with her experience exploring new places and stories. Through her reviews, she celebrates creativity and inspires readers to appreciate the connections between books, movies, music, travel, and global cultures.
Nathaniel Adebayo
Nathaniel is a Media Content Specialist at Verayea, where he specializes in curating content and gathering data for the company’s extensive book library. He is also dedicated to writing insightful reviews, offering thoughtful perspectives on a range of media. His work ensures that Verayea’s library is comprehensive, well-organized, and informative, providing valuable resources for its audience.