A blood and/or DNA test does not always dictate who we consider to be family.
The Emperor of Gladness, by Ocean Vuong, was published last year. It is the story of an unlikely friendship between a young man named Hai and Grazina, an older woman who is suffering from dementia. After literally talking him off the ledge and preventing him from jumping off a bridge, Grazina invited Hai into her home. He becomes her caretaker and lives with her for a year, creating a bond that forever shapes the rest of their days.
This is another title in which the premise drew me in, and the text pushed me away. I enjoyed this unorthodox friendship, but the tale does not hold up to what it could have been.
Do I recommend it? No.
The Emperor of Gladness is available wherever books are sold.
Writergurlny 