Rich boy meets down to earth ABC (American Born Chinese)
girl in NYC and brings her home to his crazy rich Asian family in Singapore.
Cue a clash of cultures, generations and fashions ensues!
Kevin Kwan’s delicious romp of a book is best described as Joy
Luck club meets Pride and Prejudice meets Dynasty.
Needless to say the overtop bling book cover totally matches the over top story.
This hilarious satirical book skewers the tensions and
pretensions between the established crazy rich old families and the newly rich from
mainland China.
The story begins with Nicholas ‘Nick’ Young, from the
venerated Young family, who decides to bring his new girlfriend Rachel Chu home
to attend the wedding of this best friend Colin Khoo.
Rachel has no idea that Nicholas is from a crazy rich Asian
family and it is through her eyes that the reader discovers the excessive lifestyles
of the unbelievabley rich in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Nick is part of three intertwined super rich families who
are connected through marriage and money. This is an environment where no-one
blinks at owning a private jet with a yoga studio or a yacht with a bowling
alley that turns into a catwalk. Cray cray!!!
While the novel drops brand names like there is no tomorrow, I loved the
fact that it is also drops food names with mouth-watering descriptions of Nyonya (Straits
Chinese) and Peranakan
food.
It picks up on the obsession with food in Singapore, as the characters argue about where to get the best laksa. I know you'll love these these parts of book Tseenster!
It picks up on the obsession with food in Singapore, as the characters argue about where to get the best laksa. I know you'll love these these parts of book Tseenster!
It is also full of slang-lah from Malay and the Cantonese and
Hokkien dialects of Chinese that is explained in the sometimes snarky, always
amusing and witty, footnotes.
In between all the high gloss, I liked the way Kwan picks up
on the subtleties of Chinese manners and customs.
The first chapter is a particularly delicious example of
what happens when a snooty English hotel receptionist dismisses the Young family. No one puts the Youngs in the corner!
My only issue with the book is that it was just a bit too
long and dragged towards the end. Also one of the main characters, Astrid (Nick’s
cousin), storyline is totally boring.
But this one minor quibble in an page turning outrageously fun book.
But this one minor quibble in an page turning outrageously fun book.
No comments:
Post a Comment