By Ocean Vuong – Penguin Press, 2025
Set in the fictional town of East Gladness, CT, the story follows 19-year-old Hai, a college dropout struggling with suicidal thoughts and opioid addiction. His life takes an unexpected turn when Grazina, an 82-year-old Lithuanian widow with dementia, saves him from a suicide attempt. Hai becomes her caretaker, and their unlikely bond forms the emotional core of the novel. Together, they confront issues such as generational trauma, immigrant experiences and the search for meaning.
As Grazina’s dementia worsens, Hai remains by her side. In return for shelter, he pilfers frozen meals and prescription medications for her. He also lovingly tries to engage with her by stepping into her imaginary world. When Hai pulls his coworkers from the grocery store into that make-believe world, they create a makeshift family, filled with marginalized individuals who feel isolated without each other. While the novel presents a world of quirky individuals, the human connections and suggestions of redemption for the characters make it an engrossing read.
