Der Kaiser der Freude

From the flip side of the American Dream: Ocean Vuong's new, breathtaking novel following the worldwide success of "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous." The queer Hai, son of a Vietnamese mother, lives in East Gladness, a rundown town in New England. The signs of the Obama campaign "Yes, we can" still hang on the streets, but Hai swallows pills and contemplates suicide. Until he meets Grazina from Lithuania, a survivor of World War II, whose mind is filled with the unresolved spirits of her life. Hai becomes her caregiver and starts working in a diner where the staff are all underdogs like him, "trapped in this so-called free world of work, sleep, and terrible pie." Poetically and humorously, with striking intimacy, Ocean Vuong tells a story of friendship that transcends all boundaries of identity and family.