An Evening with Ocean Vuong - The Emperor of Gladness
The Portobello Bookshop team are hosting an event with Ocean Vuong at the Assembly Rooms on Monday 8th September, for an evening of conversation about his second novel.
About An Evening with Ocean Vuong - The Emperor of Gladness
| 8th September 2025 | |
| 7.30pm | |
|
Assembly Rooms 54 George Street, Edinburgh New Town EH2 2LR |
|
| See event website for details | |
| Visit the event website here | |
It is an honour for The Portobello Bookshop team to be hosting an event with Ocean Vuong in at the Assembly Rooms on Monday 8th September, when he'll be in Edinburgh for an evening of conversation about his second novel, The Emperor of Gladness.
Combining grit and grace, humour and love, The Emperor of Gladness is a moving story of friendship and how much we’re willing to risk for one of life’s most treasured mercies: a second chance.
Doors due to open at 6.45pm.
Please note that The Emperor of Gladness will be published earlier in the year on 15th May, therefore books for the Book & Ticket options will be posted out to you or made available to collect from the bookshop between then and the event on 8th September. You can choose whether you would prefer collection or postage in the checkout options on The Portobello Bookshop website.
About The Emperor of Gladness:
In a forgotten Massachusetts town, a young man called Hai is standing on the edge of the river preparing to jump. On the run from his mistakes and struggling with an opioid addiction, Hai is ready to give up. He is interrupted by the sound of an old woman shouting at him. Grazina is a tenacious, rebellious 82-year-old widow with dementia and she has just saved his life. Suddenly Hai finds himself caring for Grazina in her ramshackle house filled with a lifetime of memories. It becomes a home where the two of them learn how to look after each other despite the grief they both carry.
To support Grazina, Hai takes a job with his cousin Sony in the local diner. The food is comforting and the restaurant offers a refuge to whoever needs it. There Hai meets a staff of loveable misfits caught on the wrong side of the American dream. Together they form an unconventional but unshakeable family. But as Grazina's dementia worsens and the diner comes under threat, Hai must decide on the future - and that means facing up to his past and the secret he has been running away from.
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