I really enjoyed Five Star Billionaire. The five central characters come from different backgrounds but all end up in Shanghai to reinvent themselves.Once the characters have reinvented themselves, they continue to struggle as their lives quickly become empty.
The only exception is Yanyan, the roommate of Phoebe, a former factory girl from the countryside. She remains true to herself, and as a result, let's herself get swallowed up in the ruthless city.
The stories are intertwined and there are near misses where, ironically, characters would have realized their aspirations if only they were honest instead of trying to be someone else to achieve their dreams.
In a city that moves so quickly where people are judged for the wrong things, honesty is tough to maintain.
The other aspect of the book that I enjoyed is the Asian cultural references, where trendy 20-somethings have green tea muffins in the coffee shop and single women in their late 20s and 30s are called shengnu or "leftovers."
Not that I enjoy the disrespectful way the Chinese refer to single women, but just how Aw captures the essence of Shanghai.
Quote of Note:
"You must appreciate that time is always against you. It is never kind or encouraging. It gnaws away invisibly at all good things. Therefore, if you have any desire to accomplish anything, even the simplest task, do it swiftly and with great purpose, or time will drag it away from you."
- August 2013
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