
The writing is brilliant.
The writing is brilliant.
#sumdayfunday @BookmarkTavern
The list is so long.
James Baldwin, always more Baldwin.
Ocean Vuong (Tagged)
I would like to start reading Alan Hollinghurst (his books are huge so intimidating)
My main focus this year though is Patricia Highsmith, I am having a lot of fun with her this year.
The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong (2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Premise: A young recovering addict in 2010 New England develops an unlikely friendship with an elderly Lithuanian immigrant living with advanced dementia.
Review: Oof. I‘m not sure what to say about this one. It is unarguably a brilliant and important piece of literature, telling a story with a strong point of view.
Cont.
Hai is floundering. At his lowest point he meets Grazina who is suffering from dementia and offers him a place to stay in exchange for caregiving and friendship. He gets a job at a food joint and finds coworkers who are all equally lost but see and support Hai with acceptance that he desperately needs. Found family and life on the fringes of the American dream combined with Vuong‘s poetic writing and characters who have earned a place in my heart.
I really liked it. The opening line hit me hard.