Book Review - Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

I am definitely late to review this book given most people (including me) have already seen the movie adaptation of this book. So I'll keep it short and share some of my high and low points for this book.

The book has a brilliant premise. A solid foundation of a story that in itself is enough to attract readers. But that's where the good bit ends. What could have been a quirky, fun and tongue in cheek piece of literature turned out to be half an attempt at it. The author gave it his best, but the writing was missing the dry ironic humor that would have poured some much needed life into the book!

The book begins with a rather large family tree that I couldn't be bothered to remember. Nicholas Young and Rachel Chu are University professors in New York and have been dating for the past 2 years. When Nick invites Rachel to his hometown - Singapore to meet his parents and for his best friend's wedding, she agrees thinking it will just be a casual summer vacation. But when they land in Singapore, she realizes that Nick belongs to an extremely wealthy family and has not been very forthcoming in telling her about it. She spends the next few weeks trying to absorb the grandeur of his family and their richness. She is pulled into a whirlwind of bachelorette parties, formal dinners, cruises and other such crazy rich shenanigans. Predictably so, Nick's mother isn't happy about his son's choice and tries her best to separate them. As Nick and Rachel's relationship begins to crumble amidst all this, it is up to them to make their respective choices.   

What disappointed me about this book was that it didn't deliver to its fullest. The mean characters weren't mean enough and the sensible characters didn't seem to have enough depth. The gossip girl element definitely shone through though. I understand a book about rich people needs to delve into hot couture for the uninitiated readers like us but the book felt like reading a Vogue catalog!

I did enjoy the bits about Chinese culture, traditions and history but honestly it didn't do enough to offset the flatness of the storyline. I won't say its a bad read but it wasn't a great one either. And for once, the movie handled the story way more better than the book did. I leave with you one of the more memorable lines from the book -  these verses that I really liked.

I gave it 2 stars out of 5 on Goodreads.

Happy Reading!

SSB