A review by felishacb
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I'll read anything by Ocean Vuong which is one reason I held on past the first 30%. My distractability is on me and none of Vuong's business. Vuong is a genius and all the work of building this world and laying out the characters pays off in the second half of the book. I must always remember, Ocean knows what he's doing.

Can we replace one of books by old white dudes in the "canon" that young people read in school with this novel? I can see this becoming a classic.
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