the emperor of gladness

I just finished reading The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, and until the movie is written, filmed, and released for it, I will be the most annoying person on Earth. "You never know how big a horse is until you have to bury it." I was intimidated by the first chapter of the novel, which paints a poetically intimate picture of the town of East Gladness, Connecticut. The omnipotent narrator carries us along a tour of small objects, abandoned buildings, and bridge-side graffiti with no clear director or purpose. It is a confusing but fitting beginning to this novel. It reminds me of the ways in which I remember my home town, a flutter of images and sounds and smells which are indescribable (with any sense) to anyone else. After this first chapter, I was almost ready to put the book down, but Vuong seemed to anticipate this. The true first chapter begins with the novel's protagonist, Hai, seconds away from jumping off of a bridge. After this point, I was quickly sucked into the…