A review by ixren
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

4.0

Between pretty good and good with a perfect ending. I feel like I know Hai as a character, his personality, fears, and flaws. I loved all the scenes with the coworkers who are not friends but closer in some ways. My favorite scene was the winter at the hog butchery. Despite the known bleakness of working class, rural-ish America, I always held a glint of hope at every plot point while knowing that nothing miraculous would ever happen to save anyone.