Kevin Kwan’s crazy rich Asians are back! In this third instalment of the series, the family comedy takes a more bittersweet tone, as the Shang-Young matriarch Shang Su Yi lies on her deathbed. Whereas Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend lampooned the lifestyles of the rich and wealthy by presenting it through the perspective of an outsider thrust into that world, Rich People Problems discards the outsider’s surprise altogether and makes us see the human beings within the wealth. Whether it’s dealing with the potential loss of a loved one or fighting to keep the family’s legacy alive, these “crazy rich” are people whom we “crazy not-rich” can easily relate to. Rich People Problems packs an emotional wallop while still maintaining Kwan’s signature light-hearted comedy, and is by far my favourite book in the series.

It was fantastic to revisit all these characters I’ve grown to love (or love to hate) since Book 1, and most significant of all is Su Yi herself. We’ve always known her as the grand dame of Tyersall Park, incredibly wealthy and powerful, surrounded by an army of servants so that she never needs to so much as lift a finger to do any slightest bit of work. She’s always come across as regal and imposing, so the very idea of her dying seems almost impossible. Yet in Rich People’s Problems, as she lays on her deathbed, we finally get a glimpse into Su Yi herself and the incredible, sometimes tragic, life she led. She grew up during the war, and I liked reading about her family’s experiences living in fear of Japanese soldiers, mostly because it reminded me of my own grandmother’s stories, but also because these experiences stand in such sharp contrast to the luxurious lives she has built for multiple generations of Shangs and Youngs. I also enjoyed reading about her happier moments, such as travelling to India and falling in love, because it was a nice balance to what she and her family went through in the war. I’d personally love to read a whole novel just about Su Yi and the people in her life, so I’m in if Kevin Kwan ever wants to do a Crazy Rich Asians prequel.

Despite the sombre premise, Rich People Problems is still comfortingly hilarious. Kitty Pong, the former soap star who keeps marrying up, takes the comedic centre stage as she competes with her own stepdaughter, famous fashionista Collette Bing, for top spot in the upper echelons of Asian society. As Colette’s faux humility continues to overshadow Kitty’s dramatic gestures, Kitty’s schemes just get increasingly over-the-top until it all comes to a fittingly dramatic showdown that intersects with the Shang-Young clan’s story.

The hilariously boorish Eddie Chung also provides comedic gold within the main storyline. As family members from around the world fly back to say their goodbyes to Su Ying… and to grasp one last chance at inheriting the family estate Tyersall Park, Eddie schemes to become the heir, which involves having favoured grandchildren Nick and Astrid banned from Tyersall Park. Eddie’s antics are as annoying and entertaining as always, and it’s soapy fun to see his desperate efforts for his grandmother’s fortune.

Nick and Astrid, of course, have long been the heart of Kwan’s series. The main storyline centres on Nick’s American-born Chinese girlfriend, later wife, Rachel adjusting to his family’s wealth, and a major subplot involves Astrid dealing with her husband Michael’s insecurity over finances whilst her ex-boyfriend Charlie quietly pines for her from the sidelines. In Rich People Problems, Nick yearns to see his beloved grandmother before she dies, but hesitates because of their years-long estrangement over Su Yi’s disapproval of his marriage to Rachel. His mother, the irrepressible Eleanor Young, is eager to help smooth the reconciliation, mostly so that Nick can be reinstated as the heir to Tyersall Hall, which adds a welcome dose of comedy to this plot line. But it’s Nick’s pain over his strained relationship with his grandmother that propels this story, and makes you root for him.

I’ve always found Astrid’s relationship with Charlie incredibly romantic, so I’m thrilled to see them officially dating at the beginning of Rich People Problems. Unfortunately, Michael isn’t ready to let her go without a hefty settlement, and his schemes put her reputation and social standing at risk. For the first time in the series, Astrid’s story faded somewhat into the background for me. I suppose I enjoy the will-they-or-won’t-they tension between her and Charlie more than this final, mostly inconvenient, snag before a happily ever after. Still, Astrid continues to be one of my favourite characters, and it was great seeing her character develop in this novel, as she learns to forge her own identity beyond just the Leong family heiress and society It Girl.

I’ve long been a fan of the Crazy Rich Asians series and am nowhere near ready for it to end. I’m not sure if the series will continue past Rich People Problems, but if it doesn’t, Kwan couldn’t have written a more fitting conclusion. I actually teared up a bit while reading it, which is quite an achievement for a series so noted for its comedy, and that’s just a testament to Kwan’s skill that he makes us care deeply for his characters even as we laugh at their antics. I’ll be sorry to say goodbye to Nick, Rachel, Astrid and all the other characters in this world (yes, even Eddie); it’s been an amazing ride.

On the bright side, we now have the Crazy Rich Asians movie to look forward to. Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring an all-Asian cast, including superstars Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh, this film looks amazing, and I can’t wait to see it!

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Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Webster College’s first female president Naomi Roth finds herself accused of racism when a popular African American professor is denied tenure. The truth is that the professor was denied tenure because he was found guilty of plagiarism, but due to his legal right to confidentiality, Naomi is unable to make that reason public. Naomi confronts the tension between her own activist past and sympathy for the students protesting the decision, her own daughter joining the protests, and the responsibilities that come with her position.

I liked the idea behind this book, and the unique perspective it used. Particularly on social media channels, it’s easy to jump on a bandwagon and become very passionate about a cause without necessarily taking the time to consider the other perspective. So it was interesting to read the perspective of someone who could understand both sides, and was unfortunately constrained herself from revealing the truth. Korelitz does a good job of showing how both sides can be culpable in double talk. For example, Naomi overhears the leader of the student protests complaining that the school administration refuses to talk to the protesters, but Naomi had made clear to her staff that she wanted an open door policy for any protester who wished to speak to her. She wonders if her staff had disobeyed her, and we as readers can’t help but wonder if the student leader is lying about his attempts to open up channels of communication. Then a potential hate crime occurs and the situation gets even more charged.

Unfortunately, despite all the interesting potential for the story, it never quite grabbed me. The pacing was slow, the writing dense, and the narration a bit too introspective for my taste. The book touches on some important and emotionally charged subjects that are relevant to people interested in social justice or involved in academia, but the execution wasn’t quite as gripping as I’d hoped.

The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner

I’m a huge sucker for beach reads, and this book seemed right up my alley. High powered attorney Marin Bishop is contacted by her long-lost half-sister Rachel, who invites Marin to join her in traveling to Cape Cod to meet their mutual long-lost grandmother Amelia.

There are soap opera twists (both were fathered by the same sperm bank donor), romance, family drama, and encounters with a cast of quirky, loveable characters. The setup reminded me a bit of Elin Hilderbrand, whose work I loved, and I opened this book eager to escape into its pages.

Unfortunately, Brenner lacks Hilderbrand’s magic, and I found myself bored by the story. The characters weren’t quite compelling enough to make me care, and while there was some development and things happened to the characters, I wasn’t really interested in finding out more.

I often enjoy escapist beach reads, and love the ones with all the soapy family type drama, but this one fell flat for me.

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Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for advanced reading copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews.

Some plays, like Huff & Stitch and Punch Up are so visceral that just reading them feels a bit like seeing them performed on stage. Others, like The Making of St. Jerome and I Am For You, have such compelling narratives that reading it feels like slipping into the rich tapestry of a novel.

The Making of St. Jerome by Marie Beath Badian

Sadly still all too timely and relevant, this play was inspired by the 2004 shooting of a Filipino Canadian teenager by a police officer in Toronto. The story is told from the perspective of the victim’s older brother Jason de Jesus, who is dealing with grief and guilt around the circumstances leading up to his brother Jerome’s death.

“It was just supposed to be a fight, Jay. Just a fight,” Jerome’s friend Dean tells Jason about the incident. After some white teenagers tell a Filipino teenager to “go back where you came from and eat your rice,” the teen’s friends decide to retaliate. Plainclothes police officers got involved, and twenty-seven seconds later, Jerome has three bullet holes in his back. The police officer claims self-defence.

“Say Jer really did have a rock,” Jason tells the audience. “Say all that shit really happened. …Now picture this. Kids. Just kids. Don’t think a bunch of thugs, don’t think gangs, think kids.” A chorus demands he tell the truth, and he continues:

The cops show up. They don’t see just kids. They see — Jane and Finch Kids. Clarkson Kids. Tuxedo Court Kids. Bendale Kids. Crescent Town Kids. Galloway Kids. …To them it’s a situation. To them it’s an incident. To them it’s an altercation. They show up–not with pepper spray or batons or tasers, even. But with guns. …And suddenly here I am being a spokesperson instead of a brother. [pp. 62-63]

The emotional heft of St. Jerome isn’t just in the systemic issues it brings to light, but rather in the intimate glimpse into the relationship between the brothers. Their relationship is fairly typical, with the usual sibling rivalry and Jerome admiring his older brother as a child, but with Jerome’s death, the tensions feel more fraught for Jason, and he can’t help remembering the arguments they’ve had, and his jealousy of Jerome’s relationship with their parents. At its core, St. Jerome is about the love between brothers, and is a moving, poignant tale.

I Am For You by Mieko Ouchi

When student teacher Caddell Morris encounters two girls fighting on his first day, he responds by giving them a legitimate excuse to fight — as Mercutio and Tybalt in their school’s production of Romeo and Juliet.

I Am For You is such a fun play for Shakespeare nerds and theatre buffs. It presents a classic Shakespeare tale in a new light, focusing on Mercutio and Tybalt rather than on the eponymous couple, and reframing Romeo and Juliet as an action-packed story of violence and tragedy rather than the usual romance. It also takes us behind the scenes on how fight scenes are choreographed and rehearsed, which was pretty cool for me to learn about.

We never really quite learn exactly what Lainie and Mariam were fighting about in the first scene, but Ouchi does a great job in presenting aspects of their personality that could have led to the tensions. Lainie is familiar with fighting and has been to the principal’s office so often that she’s in danger of getting expelled. In contrast, Mariam’s combat knowledge is very structured; she takes fencing classes at a nearby college and is the youngest student in that class. Their rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet include both sword fighting and hand to hand combat, which gives each girl the opportunity to gain the upper hand.

I love how the structure of stage fighting helped both girls learn about how they approach conflict beyond the play. For example, while learning to fence, Lainie learns that aggressive movements with the foil actually makes you more vulnerable to getting hit, whereas a light touch gives you the control you need to win the fight. While learning hand to hand combat, Mariam learns to engage with her partner with a believable level of aggression, to “sell” the fight. And also while learning hand to hand combat, both girls learn that when throwing or pulling hair on stage, it’s actually the “victim” who keeps control and directs the action. Ouchi weaves these acting lessons in with real life character development for both girls, and it was just fun to read.

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Thank you to Playwrights Canada Press for copies of these books in exchange for an honest review.