Book name- THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS
Author- Ocean Vuong
Published by- Jonathan Cape
Price- Rs 899
The Emperor of Gladness is the second novel by the young American poet, novelist and essayist, Ocean Vuong. Like his previous book, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, which was centred on a boy trying to find his true self in a foreign country, The Emperor of Gladness, too, is achingly engaging.
The story revolves around two individuals, Hai and Grazina. While Hai is a nineteen-year-old boy with suicidal tendencies, Grazina is an elderly widow suffering from dementia. Hai, having on one occasion been prevented by Grazina from committing suicide and bereft of options, becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, an unlikely bond develops between them. Built on empathy, heartbreak, and spiritual reckoning, the relationship is life-altering for both the individuals.
Having a broad, sweeping storyline, The Emperor of Gladness takes its readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Themes of love and intimacy are handled with profound originality and elegance. The protagonists of the novel are taken from the margins of American life and, with inventive genius and pronounced sympathy, placed on centrestage by Vuong. A life-changing event in Hai’s life occurs when he takes a job at a diner to financially support Grazina and himself. In due course of time, Hai’s colleagues become an integral part of the lives of the two main characters. Plagued by desperation and incidents, all these individuals, existing on the margins of the society, seek to complement each other’s survival.
Vuong’s novel neatly follows the sequence of history, time and memory and demonstrates the unexpected ways in which our lives are changed by the unlikeliest of people. A compelling read, the novel’s comforting prose should be seen as a triumph against a world determined to antagonise the kind hearted. Disturbing yet beautiful, The Emperor of Gladness is a memorable story of not just unexpected friendships but also the value of a second chance in human life.
