Tash Aw follows several immigrants whose stories tell the larger story of Shanghai. There is Justin, the older son of a huge property development family who comes to the city to tie down the purchase of a property and then promptly has a breakdown. Phoebe is in Shanghai illegally. She is determined to make her way and spends her leisure time devouring self-help books. Willing to do whatever it takes, she also casts her net on social media to find a man to finance her. Gary is a pop singer whose time in the limelight is done after he has a public meltdown one day. Yinghui loved poetry and the arts in her youth. She was engaged to Justin's brother but after their breakup, she moved to Shanghai and reinvented herself as a businesswoman and is now very successful.
Then in the background is the shadowy figure of Walter Cho. He interacts with many of the other characters. He has social relationships with both Phoebe and Yinghui although neither is sure if he is really romantically interested in him. He writes the self-help books that Phoebe devours and through them we see his early childhood that shaped him. He is the man who scoops the property that Justin's family desired, bringing about their bankruptcy. He convinces Yinghui to partner with him in a mysterious project.
Tash Aw is Malaysian and grew up in Kuala Lumpar as a child before moving to England as a teen. He studied law and worked as a lawyer for several years before deciding to write instead. His writing won the Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was longlisted for the Booker. In this novel, he explores the meaning of modern commerce as well as the basic human longing for connection that drives the characters even when they think they don't need anyone else. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
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