Books Set in Asia: Singapore

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan (2013)

I picked up this book because I know that is a soon-to-be released movie.  

This is an amusing book about the adult children of very, very rich families. The rich families in the novel are Chinese living in Singapore, but probably the children of the very, very rich families anywhere would be essentially the same.  The novel essentially follows the lives of three intertwined ultra-wealthy families.

Rachel Chu and Nicholas Young are professors at a university in New York City. Rachel is 29 and Nicholas is in his early 30s.  They have been living together for the past two years.  When Nicholas invites Rachel to spend the summer with him in Singapore, she jumps at the chance to meet his family.  Little does she know, however, that he is of THE Young Family.  She gets her first hint when the plane tickets are in a suite on the flight to Asia.

Upon arriving in Singapore, Rachel and Nicholas attend a gathering at the palace of Nicholas’s grandmother.  She is in awe of the magnificent surroundings.  Nicholas’s mother, however, is certain that Rachel a gold-digger and out to snare her son, so she leaves the country so isn’t present to welcome her son and his girlfriend.  She also hires a private eye to investigate Rachel’s background. 

Rachel is introduced to Nicholas’s friends.  Nicholas is to be the best man at his close friend’s wedding.  Rachel is invited to a bachelorette party with the bride and her friends.  The bridal party quickly recognized that Rachel is not of their social class, and treat her very poorly.  Rachel soon sees how competitive and catty the other young women.

We are also introduced to Astrid, Nicholas’s cousin, who is married to Michael. They try to live on Michael’s salary, but Astrid still sneaks off to Paris twice a year to spend literally millions on clothing. 

Also, very amusingly in this novel, the author includes footnotes to explain translations of Chinese words and phrases, or to provide details into the lives of such high-culture and society.  His explanations are often very funny.

What will the detective find out about Rachel’s past?  Does so much money really make the families happy?  How do marriages work when one partner is so wealthy and the other is from a more modest background?

This is a very entertaining novel about the extravagances of the super rich.

Read: July 19, 2018

4 Stars