Hello, hello, hello!
I read CRAZY RICH ASIANS back in August before the movie came out. I wanted to include it in my review section because I liked it, loved the movie, and LOVED the second book in the series so much!
First off, I’m mad it took me this long to read it. I’ve seen it in bookstores for years and always just said, “eh not for me” and kept moving. When I started reading it, I was like “yeah definitely not for me” but my goal for the year was to finish all the books I started so…I was going to power through and eventually I fell in love with Rachel and Nick, who are technically the main characters. But there are A LOT of other colorful characters in this world. In the beginning, I found it really hard to keep up with all the names, English and Chinese, as well as having to glance at the footnotes for the translated bursts of Mandarin, Cantonese and other Chinese dialects. I’d say it took about 100-150 pages for me to finally reach “can’t put this down” stage.
Nicholas Young and Rachel Chu are professors at NYU. They have modest living accommodations in New York City and have been dating for close to two years. Nick invites Rachel to spend the summer holiday with him in his native Singapore, without telling her that he’s basically royalty. Nicholas comes from one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Asia. Rachel is thrown into a world completely new to her of private jets, couture, and family loyalties.
But here’s the thing: a lot of the characters can be really unrelatable because the wealth described in this book is exactly as the title suggests: CRAZY. But, at its core, this book is about family expectations. Nick’s mother and her friends are traditional to a fault where they are unwelcoming, mean, and snobbish. I did not like Eleanor, Nick’s mother. I can get on the “All for a mother’s love” bandwagon, but this took it to such a vicious place I found myself cringing a lot (which I think is the point). You see the generational gap between the 30-somethings and their parents. I’m not of Asian descent, but I’d really like to speak to some asian friends if they feel the pressures to carry on a legacy like some of these characters do.
There’s a subplot involving one of Nick’s cousins, Astrid, that according to my friend who’s only seen the movie, seems unnecessary. I really liked the character of Astrid in the book, but did get frustrated when I was taken away from the Rachel plot. However, as a literary device, I think Astrid’s relationship with her husband Michael is used as juxtaposition to Rachel and Nick or possibly a warning. No spoilers!
I loved the ending. The movie keeps getting labeled a Romantic Comedy and after seeing it I totally agree due to the edits/changes made, but the book felt like so much more. There’s a story of substance wrapped up in all the jets, private islands, and diamonds described. It’s a story of resilience and family, whatever kind of family we come from.
Have you read Crazy Rich Asians? What did you think?
Read and Wright 