jackpizzey 's review for:

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

4.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Hai - a Vietnamese teen - spends the novel juggling care for Grazina (an elderly woman losing her marbles) with a new job at HomeMarket (a place where despair comes to die).

The setting is bleak, but the characters are warm, funny, and genuinely good people. A dream team of misfits looking out for one another in hard times.

BJ’s moonlighting as a wrestler practically body-slams the novel 💯

Spin-off, please…