“The hardest thing in the world is to live only once”
Ocean Vuong, The Emperor of Gladness, Jonathan Cape, London, 2025
Fans of Ocean Vuong, one of America’s most influential contemporary authors, have eagerly awaited the release of his second novel, The Emperor of Gladness. Technically this is actually Ocean’s third time writing a book. He was honoured as a contributor to the time-capsule ‘Framtidsbiblioteket’ “future library project” to be revealed in 2114. In all his work, Yuong delicately straddles the worlds of academia and fearlessly imaginative creative-writing, and (thus far) the critical reception for this latest, and substantial narrative has been generally enthusiastic. With no surprise, Oprah was quick off the block, as one of Ocean’s principal cheerleaders, in making this her 114th Book Club Pick. Most heavyweight reviewers have also been sympathetic and the headlines from the likes of the London Review of Books, the New York Times, and the New Yorker have generally been favourable.
Oftentimes we forget that follow-up novels are often the most difficult to write, especially when your first has been as successful as On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous, and when you are also a prize-winning poet of note. Also, Ocean’s perfectionist leanings make for a slow-burn on literary out-put. This is someone who aspires to excellence- equally devoted to instructing his students at New York University as to the solitary writer’s craft. His latest is a big book- over 400 pages touring the fringes of fantasy and misconception. Set in the fictional town of East Gladness, Connecticut (terrain Voung knows well) the protagonist is 19-year-old Hai, “in the midnight of his childhood and a lifetime from first light.” These beautiful words finely dissect the metamorphosis we all experience as we journey uneasily into the solemnity of adulthood.
Talked down from jumping the bridge, Hai is adopted by 82-year-old Grazina, a woman suffering with dementia. They support each other- the book is the story of how they both get a second chance of life. She needs care, and he needs someone to persuade him from his opioid addiction. This magnificent, grand-scale novel shifts easily from gay self-discovery to contemplation of death. He borrows from his previous works- Vietnamese immigration, generational conflict; winning a second chance. The Emperor of Gladness also explores the gross brutality of work. Hai labours at HomeMarket, a fast-casual diner chain where his co-workers also become his new extended family.
Somehow Hai finds a glow of gladness despite hopeless situations. He thus secures a narrative future which is the real subject of the book. We discover it is really about the author’s compelling, “wanting to be a writer”. This novel delicately exudes the hallmarks of Ocean’s writings- sensitive, empathetic wordsmanship about real people marinated in autofiction. The resulting plot is then sprinkled with a subtle, distilled transmutation of scholarly literary criticism. He is one of America’s great contemporary writers.
– Martin Duffy
Martin Duffy is a student on the MFA in Creative Writing at York St John University.
Blog cover photo taken from here.