ashleyjean6 's review for:

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

4.25

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

---

This is a hard book to nail down... It was really well written, literary, creative, original. But heavy and depressing and ugly. However despite the subject matter, or maybe because of it (?), it has a hopeful overtone; most of us are ordinary and that's fine. Most of us are even messed up, and that's also fine. It calls out American society for using and abusing and discarding the elderly, the sick, and those working "meanial", "dead end" jobs that are often the essential cogs of that very society. It's not a happy or light read, but it gives you a lot to chew on. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Dementia, Classism

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol