{"product_id":"the-emperor-of-gladness-9798217082551","title":"The Emperor of Gladness: Oprah's Book Club","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe instant \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller - Oprah's Book Club Pick - Named a Best Book of 2025 by \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New\u003c\/i\u003e Yorker, NPR, and \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e - A 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence finalist \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Stunning . . . A heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society, and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive.\" --Oprah Winfrey \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOcean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe hardest thing in the world is to live only once\u003c\/i\u003e... \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOne late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to transform Hai's relationship to himself, his family, and a community on the brink. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFollowing the cycles of history, memory, and time, \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor of Gladness \u003c\/i\u003eshows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong's writing--formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness--are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life's most fleeting mercies: a second chance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOcean Vuong\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collections \u003ci\u003eNight Sky with Exit Wounds \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eTime Is a Mother\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as the\u003ci\u003e New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling novel \u003ci\u003eOn Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous\u003c\/i\u003e. A recipient of the American Book Award and the MacArthur \"Genius Grant,\" he has also worked as a line cook, tobacco harvester, nursing home volunteer, and fast-food server, the latter becoming inspiration for \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor of Gladness.\u003c\/i\u003e Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he currently splits his time between Northampton, Massachusetts, and New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Random House Large Print Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51260348072210,"sku":"9798217082551","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d65e8cf8-0b48-426f-a042-550ad49ea89f.jpg?v=1765357174","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-emperor-of-gladness-9798217082551","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}