"I have no idea who these people are. But I can tell you one thing—these people are richer than God."
I've got to hand it to Kevin Kwan. He just comes along and writes a satire of Asian culture that is so sharp and so searing as to be both funny and honest.
When I first picked up this book, I thought I was going to be reading a zany romantic comedy. But instead of your typical middle-class white people as the main characters, we get two Asians, one of whom comes from an extremely wealthy though misbehaving family. And I would've been happy with that story. It's rare for romantic comedies to feature ethnic Chinese main characters, so to even get that kind of representation made me really excited. But this turned out to be so much more than that.
Reading this book felt like I was stepping back into a culture I knew intimately. There is so much authenticity embedded in every page that I was discovering nostalgic gems everywhere. And the thing is, when you've gotten used to reading books that don't represent you or where you come from, when you do come across the rare book that does, it can be a bit shocking. Like, wow, this is how it feels to be seen and understood within the pages of a book.
I marveled at how Kwan was able to peel back the layers and keenly sketch out all the characteristics of growing up Chinese, including the enormous pressure to succeed along the narrowest of definitions, the expectation to bow to familial demands, and the emphasis on face and appearance. The juxtaposition of Nick and Rachel and the way they approach their families really highlights the difference between the East and the West, and how hard it can be for the two sides to understand each other.
And through it all, Kwan injected so much fun and humor into this. For me, one of the hallmarks of a good satire is that it's able to take raw or tender subjects and turn them into laughable events, all the while honestly examining the beauty and ugliness within. The strife and the feelings in here are all too real, but they made me laugh instead of despair. Satire is always grounded in truth, and can evoke such strong feelings when done right, delighting us in the absurdity of human folly while connecting us with each other.
Even though at first glance, the opulent wealth and outrageous antics in this book seem to play the central role, that is really the vehicle with which Kwan uses to turn this story into a satire. If you peel that away, what's underneath is a startling astute exploration of familial relationships within Chinese culture.
Readaroo Rating: 4 stars
0 comments:
Post a Comment