The Emperor of Gladness

A Novel

By: Ocean Vuong

Narrated by: James Aaron Oh

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.

©2025 Ocean Vuong (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Vuong’s protagonist, Hai, is a drug-addicted college dropout living in the fictional town of East Gladness, Connecticut. After he forms an unlikely bond with an elderly widow from Lithuania, whose house he moves into, he begins working at a fast-food restaurant, HomeMarket, where all of the employees are, like him, searching for some kind of home. The novel brims with feeling for these figures, who, though scorned by society, belong to it nonetheless.”—The New Yorker

“On the surface, The Emperor of Gladness is about people on the margins and how they survive hardship, but it’s also a story of how contradictions often exist in conjunction. War and loss run through the pages of The Emperor of Gladness, but so do love and joy. Estrangement ripples through the novel too, yet The Emperor of Gladness celebrates profound connections . . . Soulful and at times heart-wrenching.”—The Seattle Times

“In [The Emperor of Gladness] Ocean Vuong blends grief, healing, and resilience into a powerful and poetic narrative.”—PBS NewsHour

Beautiful complex story

Wow! This book was so finely crafted. The characters are so well developed and present with all of the complexities of human beings, you care deeply about them. I was never sure where the story would go, I was fully engaged in their lives. It’s a tale of human frailties, of friendship, aging, love, and family. All woven into the context of what home means, whether it be a structure or a country. The narrator did a great job with the voicing of the characters.

Very Touching

At moments I was laughing then crying . Such a great way to put this beautiful piece together.

Beautifully Heartbreaking

My heart has been broken and repaired by the striking imagery and devastating honesty of each character in this book. I will be listening/reading again, because I want to soak it all in.

Compelling characters, hopeful and sad

Liked the specificity of details around the run down town and a characters Alzheimer’s progression

I love this book.

Ocean Vuong honors people who survive hard lives and remain kind-hearted by making them the focus of The Emperor of Gladness. The writing is often beautiful. Unusual for me, I cried several times while reading this novel because I grew to care deeply for the characters. I recommend that you read this book.

Best book I’ve read in awhile

I love the characters ❤️ their conversations would have me laughing out loud. Yet, I would also get choked up because the story deals with some very hard situations. This is worthy of reading again. MUST READ!

Narrative! It was brilliant.

I loved it all. Narration was great, characters…truly this was a remarkable piece of fiction.

Best book I’ve read this year

Phenomenal. It changed how I read and how I write. Vuong is a phenom and we are lucky to have him

Understand dementia, teen angst, immigrant obstacles, & unique friendships all at once

The compassion between several strangers in this strange world made me feel connected to these, well…strangers. May we all be more like each and every character in this novel. Just regular, very different, Americans trying to support their fellow Americans. Perfect timing for this book.

Witty

Insightful about community formed in a workshop. American experienced by immigrants. The wounds of war.