Pink Fiction Club

  This was a book that I have had in my collection for a while, but with many other books I also purchased and also the sheer size and intensity of Ocean Vuong’s writing, I only recently got around to reading and reviewing it. I had very little knowledge about this novel, except that I knew it was by Ocean Vuong and after he had ripped my heart out in ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’, I decided that was enough to purchase a hard copy at my local Waterstones. However, while this was undoubtedly a master class in beautiful prose that at times started reading like poetry, I am afraid that his previous novel was a lot more effective and emotional than this one. ‘The Emperor of Gladness’ follows Hai, a young Vietnamese- American queer man and his relationship with an old Lithuanian woman suffering from dementia as he becomes her caretaker. Other characters include Hai’s co-workers at the local fast food restaurant he becomes a part of and their developing relationships. Additionally, I...