Review— Crazy Rich Asians

3.5 stars– murky descriptions and narrative but brilliant characters.

Crazy Rich Asians is written by Kevin Kwan and follows a large cast of characters to Singapore for the wedding of the year. Rachel Chu is invited by Nicholas Young, a professor working on tenure in New York, and soon discovers that her boyfriend’s family is wealthier than she can even fully comprehend despite her background as an economist.

As much as I enjoyed the turn of fortune prologue and the premise of this book, I did not care for the writing style the book was written in. Every chapter bounced from character to character, sometimes bouncing within the same paragraph, reading more like a historical biography than a fiction novel. Kwan’s descriptions felt stagnant and the characters seemed to move in darkness, the settings never fully materializing.

I did, however, think that Kwan did an excellent job capturing the emotions and motivations of his characters. I rooted for the protagonists and while I wished Eleanor would fail, I did understand her thoughts and feelings. I would recommend this book, but it is not one I’ll reread.