Crazy Rich Asians: A Book Review

By Mica Shanel Tubang & Francesca Marie Cuba

Crazy Rich Asians, written by Kevin Kwan, is a romantic comedy novel. Crazy Rich
Asians is a part of the Crazy Rich Trilogy. The author, Kevin Kwan, stated in an interview that
the story was inspired by his childhood experience in Singapore. The cover of the book is a
woman wearing expensive pieces of jewelry such as a necklace, a pair of earrings, and
sunglasses. At the upper part of the book cover written was the #1 New York Times Bestseller.
In 2018 the bestselling novel was adapted into a movie.

The novel is domestic fiction, also referred to as woman's fiction, as the story focuses on
Rachel Chu’s perspectives, struggles, and experiences. The story consists of three major parts.
The first part was Rachel and Nick's experience of going and arriving in Singapore. The second
is, Rachel meeting the important people in Nick's family. And the third one is the wedding day
and where the conflict of the story starts to take place.

Crazy Rich Asians is narrated by an all-knowing third person that changes perspective
occasionally. The story was then written in the third person's point of view. The narrator mostly
shifts in a perspective that gives us the information a first person's point of view cannot do. The
said perspective gives us insights and the possible thoughts of other characters.

"What distraction? Colin's wedding is only going to take up the first week in Singapore."
The two main settings of the story were New York and Singapore. The story then happened in
the year 2010. New York greatly influences the story as it was the place where Nicholas Young
and Rachel Chu first met and started living together. Singapore is where Nick was born and
where his family and friends are currently residing. It is the place where Nick wants to bring
Rachel to have a vacation and finally meet his beloved family.

The main theme of Crazy Rich Asians are centralized around love, romance, family, and
struggles in life. Rachel told Nick that "It's true, you have stayed exactly the same, but the world
around you-this world around us-is so different from anything I'm used to." Ever since they went
to Singapore, Rachel got to know things about Nick's family. Rachel struggles with Nick's
friends, acquaintances, and family. Going to a world completely unknown to Rachel, experience
hardships, causes a conflict in their relationship.

Due to Mrs Eleanor Young, Nick's mother and her love for her son, she did everything to
break their relationship, even though it was Nick's happiness. The story then shifts onto Astrid
Leong and Michael Teo’s story. Michael being born from a normal family causes him to plan to
cheat to break off their marriage. Being looked down on by Astrid's family and being pressured
by Astrid's way of living, Michael thought that their relationship was bound to fail. He stated that
"It's just never worked, Astrid. Our marriage, it hasn't worked from day one."
 In addition, the genre of the novel is more focused on romantic comedy as the story
mainly revolves around the intimate moments of Rachel and Nick, but also can be considered as
comedy, because of the humorous moments between each of their friends. The genre of the novel
can also be considered as drama since there are a lot of confrontations in the novel which targets
the relationship of the main characters, Rachel and Nick, as well as the marriage of Astrid and
Michael. The amazing difference of this novel’s genre to other novels is the fact that it is mostly
focused on Asian families’ culture and tradition. Through this novel, the reader could be able to
look into the perspective of romance, relationships, comical aspects, and the issues that often
happen in Asian families and they resolve such conflicts.

The plot of Crazy Rich Asians is outstandingly interesting and enlightening. It is one of
the few novels that talks about the experiences of Asian families, especially those who are well
off and are extremely successful in their chosen fields. The novel gives us a bird’s eye view on
what it is like being an individual who has or is experiencing racism, insecurities, and being
looked down by others. Additionally, the characters in this novel are greatly convincing and the
book itself gives justice to the characters. Each character has its own personality and through the
book, one is able to feel the emotions and thoughts of the characters in their own point of view.
The characters are what makes the bestseller novel truly worthwhile to read.

The characters having a wide range of personalities and perspectives about the world and
lifestyle they live in, the amusing setting and plot, and the distinct theme and genre of the novel
are some of the best attributes of Crazy Rich Asians, which makes it such a promising novel. A
good deal of life lessons can be learned from this novel, likewise makes you ponder about the
“behind the scenes” of the rich. The novel brings to mind the unfortunate effects about being
wealthy and makes you reflect on the question, “Is it really worth it being immensely wealthy
and privileged?” While some would answer a quick “yes” to that question, some of the
characters in the novel would most likely have second thoughts on this question. Nevertheless,
being wealthy truly has its fair share of pros and cons.

In conclusion, Kevin Kwan’s novel titled, “Crazy Rich Asians is definitely a must have
book to read. The novel teaches us how there is more to life than being rich and having all the
luxurious pieces in your closet. Life is all about fighting for yourself and for the ones you truly
love. It is looking past behind the glamorous faces and the financial status of a person. The
author unquestionably written the novel with such accuracy of the lives of the most elite and
wealthy in Asia and for that, a generous 4.9 out of 5 star rating shall be given. Indeed, it is a feel
good book that is certainly favorable and fascinating to read.