Book 6: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ by Kevin Kwan

The next three options I was given for book six were:

‘Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ by Kevin Kwan

‘A Death in The Family’ by Karl Ove Knausgård

Seeking a little more glamour after the mud-laced steps of ‘The Gallows Pole’, I chose to read ‘Crazy Rich Asians’.

Amazon summary: When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor.

On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is the Ronseal of books. If you are looking for a novel that has crazy Asians, rich Asians, and crazy rich Asians, it does exactly what it says on the front cover. Whilst the story often feels like a procession of set pieces that are designed to amaze the reader, the overall narrative is underpinned by some interesting social commentary and a sense that even with millions to your name, the world is not always a great place.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ never professes to be anything more than a romp through the world of modern Asia and the lives of a succession of ever richer, ever more beautiful families as a wedding is due to take place in Singapore that is the talk of the country. Within that, the decision of the main male protagonist, Nick, to invite his girlfriend, Rachel, to the wedding sparks controversy due to the loftier expectations of the moneyed relatives who believe that name value is all that matters when it comes to a match. Playing opposite this plotline is the story of Astrid, Nick’s cousin, whose world begins to collapse around her in a way that no number of Gucci dresses can ever truly resolve.

As an outsider to the world that Kwan creates, I can only be amazed by the mere idea that extravagance exists on the level that is portrayed throughout the book, extravagance that I can only assume stems from some form of legitimacy. Any questions as to the validity of the picture painted by Kwan are easy to downplay when the detailed description of designers, styles and attires come thick and fast. Indeed, the biggest issue I had with the cast of characters as a whole was that everyone seemed not only rich, but incredibly beautiful. Whilst the idea of attractive people also being people who manage to get themselves into a position of wealth isn’t hard to fathom, everyone being inches removed from a model began to become almost too knowing in its attempt to create the façade of a perfect world.

Similarly, at times the narrative is driven along by the reader’s desire to read about the next ostentatious display of wealth rather than any real focus on the plot. To be honest, that works well enough to carry the narrative until the overarching storyline takes a more serious turn, but at times it is somewhat similar to ‘Ready Player One’ of all books – you are just waiting to read the next overt display of wealth/80s pop culture reference rather than actually feeling truly invested in the storyline.

To leave ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ as a book that solely relies on the obvious engagement caused by the wealth of its characters would be crass and unfair. As mentioned previously, the storyline does take a turn for the more serious in the latter third, and whilst some may feel that it is a fairly facile in the grand scheme of things, I was invested enough in the characters to be legitimately shocked and intrigued by where the narrative was heading. If that isn’t what a book is supposed to do, I don’t know.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ doesn’t exactly try to be subtle, but across the course of its narrative there are enough interesting moments, social commentaries, sarcastic footnotes and engaging characters to make it worth a look. It may not change your literary world, but it will make you turn a page or two.