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A review by ywanderingreads
Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
3.0
I fell in love with Tash Aw’s writing after reading Map of the Invisible World two years ago. When I chose this, I already had a high expectation from the story and he didn’t disappoint! This is definitely my kind of story as it’s very character driven.
This story is set in Shanghai and follows five individuals who are trying to make something out of their lives. There is Phoebe, an ambitious woman who has come to Shanghai to find love and be rich (marry a rich husband). Justin, who is an heir to a rich company went into hiding after his family’s business fails. Next is Yinghui, who became a successful entrepreneur after years of hard work but wants more, and Gary, a teen singer who found fame too fast and suffers a painful fall from grace. Finally, there is the narrator himself, Walter who seems to be very rich and invests in alot of business but is he all he appeared to be?
All of these individuals seem to have something in common. They all have a ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality. All of them are striving to be rich and successful but at what cost? They slowly realise that all the wealth and success they have doesn’t necessarily bring them happiness. They lose sense of themselves and reality wondering if all their sacrifices were worth it. I love how Aw connected these characters together in such a big city. They are intertwined in their ambitions to move up in life. It is also very interesting to note that all of them are Malaysians!
I was very caught up in the characters, not knowing if I wanted to root for them to succeed or not but at the same time, I was also very curious to know their endings. I must say, I wasn’t completely surprised as to how they ended up.
I love Aw’s vivid depiction of Shanghai. Like all big, fast-paced cities, Shanghai is ruthless amidst its glory. This is a city that encourages people to have dreams but uncaringly stamps on those who failed to make their dreams come true. It’s a city where you are allowed to be fake and materialistic.
“People come here like explorers, but soon they disappear and no one remembers them; no one even hears them as they fade away."
This story is set in Shanghai and follows five individuals who are trying to make something out of their lives. There is Phoebe, an ambitious woman who has come to Shanghai to find love and be rich (marry a rich husband). Justin, who is an heir to a rich company went into hiding after his family’s business fails. Next is Yinghui, who became a successful entrepreneur after years of hard work but wants more, and Gary, a teen singer who found fame too fast and suffers a painful fall from grace. Finally, there is the narrator himself, Walter who seems to be very rich and invests in alot of business but is he all he appeared to be?
All of these individuals seem to have something in common. They all have a ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality. All of them are striving to be rich and successful but at what cost? They slowly realise that all the wealth and success they have doesn’t necessarily bring them happiness. They lose sense of themselves and reality wondering if all their sacrifices were worth it. I love how Aw connected these characters together in such a big city. They are intertwined in their ambitions to move up in life. It is also very interesting to note that all of them are Malaysians!
I was very caught up in the characters, not knowing if I wanted to root for them to succeed or not but at the same time, I was also very curious to know their endings. I must say, I wasn’t completely surprised as to how they ended up.
I love Aw’s vivid depiction of Shanghai. Like all big, fast-paced cities, Shanghai is ruthless amidst its glory. This is a city that encourages people to have dreams but uncaringly stamps on those who failed to make their dreams come true. It’s a city where you are allowed to be fake and materialistic.
“People come here like explorers, but soon they disappear and no one remembers them; no one even hears them as they fade away."