The story of Berlin in the 20th century
Novel set in SINGAPORE
17th June 2022
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, novel set in Singapore.
#fromourbookshelves
Rachel Yu really has no idea that her beau – Nicholas Young – is rich, rich, rich and well connected. She is happy to accompany him from New York to the island state of Singapore over one Summer and, goodness, she has a few shocks in store, as I am sure you can well imagine! He is off to be the best man at his best friend’s wedding. Just before departure he shares the fact with his family that he has a young woman accompanying him and that already sets the cat amongst the pigeons.
The novel is a curious and alluring insight into this Asian culture, bringing to life very colourfully the local society, family mores and the intrigues of beady-eyed women, who are ready to tittle tattle at the drop of a hat and cast their critical eyes over any newcomers in their privileged circle.
There are considerable ins and outs around Rachel’s initiation into his family dynamics, the misunderstandings, the sidelong looks, the probing and backhanded comments. The wealth drips off the pages and it is strange because, now, only 9 years after publication, the lifestyles cited seems utterly de trop, excessive, overblown and out of step with where the world seems to be going nowadays. The writing is crisp, with quite a few explanations of words and phrases, which add a bit of authenticity yet also serve to break up the rhythm of reading. It is an easy-to-read novel that perhaps hasn’t aged so well (which is probably a good thing given the excess). I suspect, though, that the richer echelons of society in Singapore and elsewhere continue on their merry way as if there were no world recession, Russian invasion of Ukraine and the vestiges of a global pandemic.
There are two more books in the series if you like this one.
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