The Emperor of Gladness

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when an elderly widow named Grazina calls across the river and convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, Hai quickly becomes Grazina’s caretaker and the two form an unlikely bond. Over the course of a year their relationship deepens into a life-altering connection that reshapes Hai’s ties to his family and a community on the brink.