THE lifestyles of the rich and famous in the West have been extensively portrayed in Hollywood films, literature and on television. But contemporary East Asia is largely under-represented in popular fiction and film and is scantily known, if at all, outside the region. Internationally, Chinese society is generally stereotyped as a poor working class that is routinely exploited by employers and is a victim of human rights abuses. But very little is known of the owners of the multibillion dollar enterprises that form the backbone of the economic boom of East Asia in general and China in particular.
This makes Kevin Kwan’s novel China Rich Girlfriend a very intriguing read. It is a whirlwind journey into the lives of what he terms “China Rich” families — signifying that they are beyond filthy rich and this kind of wealth is generally unknown elsewhere.
With such massive economic growth that has taken place in the last few decades, the lifestyles of the ultra rich in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong by far dwarf what we have previously heard of. And this Kwan has tried to emphasise repeatedly by frequently mentioning numbers showing the net worth of his characters.
Kwan’s first novel, Crazy Rich Asians, was a highly acclaimed bestseller; published in 2013, Entertainment Weekly called it “deliciously decadent” and Vogue magazine termed it “mordantly funny”. Second in the trilogy, Crazy Rich Girlfriend picks up with the wedding of the protagonists of the first novel, Nick Young and Rachel Chu.
Singaporean Nick’s hushed marriage to American Rachel, in defiance of his domineering mother, sees him put at stake one of the greatest fortunes in Asia. But it turns out that when his mother Eleanor crashes their wedding rehearsal party it is not to stop the marriage from taking place but to inform Rachel that she has discovered who her father is.
This revelation sees Nick and Rachel going to Shanghai for their honeymoon and to meet her new-found family. Enter Carlton, Rachel’s impetuous half-brother who introduces them to the nuances of the outrageous Shanghainese nouveau-riche lifestyle. Their ensuing tumultuous journey of discovery, spanning several cities, ends in curious circumstances.
Here their lives intertwine with Nick’s cousin in Singapore, Astrid and her husband Michael, a self-made billionaire, who detests the continuous influence of his wife’s old influential family. Things between the couple get sourer when Michael discovers that the source of his wealth is not what he had previously thought and suspects that his wife’s friendship with an old admirer, Charlie Wu, is not as innocent as it seems.
Intertwining with them is the life of Kitty Pong, an ex soap-opera star, whose marriage to billionaire Bernard Tai has given her grand wealth but she soon realises that it isn’t an automatic pass into Hong Kong’s high society.
Spanning East Asia’s glitzy capital cities, the plot moves from one city to another but there are a few instances of disconnect in the story; for example we don’t know exactly how Nick’s mother finds out who Rachel’s father is. In addition, the quickly shifting chapters between cities and characters give the reader a bit of a tough time in keeping track of the storyline.
The many stories of the different families seem to all come together towards the end of the book rather abruptly, possibly intentionally as there is still a third book to follow. However, the narrative of some of the characters seems to have been elongated in the wrong places and shortened in the wrong places. The lifestyles portrayed are admittedly so lavish that they are beyond the understanding of an average reader who just feels like he has to trust the author on it. The brand names that are painstakingly mentioned are too exclusive to be popularly heard of. “….it’s a runway look that never went into production, which I’m wearing with Tabitha Simmons silk stripe sandals, Line Vautrin gold earrings, and my Peranakan gold bracelet.”
Similarly some behaviour is extremely outlandish but then, that’s exactly what Kwan wants to portray. He wants the reader to feel shock and awe as regards to the characters. “Roxanne just flew Kate and Pippa (from Shanghai) on Colette’s plane to see a famous dog psychic in California.” Having said that, almost all of his characters are stereotypical and at times, even predictable.
What the reader can identify with is that no matter how much wealth and influence one may have, the emotional struggles of the characters are all too real and familiar. So despite the unfamiliarity of the plot, the reader can still identify with the protagonists at some level.
The intrigues, plot twists, and flashy behaviour make for a fast-paced read with the added benefit of city-hopping sewed in. China Rich Girlfriend may not be up to par with its predecessor (now being made into a film), but it does leave the reader looking forward to its sequel.
The writer is a former Dawn staff member.
China Rich Girlfriend
(NOVEL)
By Kevin Kwan
Doubleday, US
ISBN 978-0385539081
400pp.
