One of my all time favorite authors is Kevin Kwan most well known for his current trilogy that begins with the best selling Crazy Rich Asians. One of the reasons I was so drawn to this book and series is because I am of asian descent and there are not very many stories that hit the nuances of our culture as well as Kevin does.
So what is Crazy Rich Asians all about:
In a nutshell according to google, Crazy Rich Asians is about “Rachel Chu accompanying her longtime boyfriend, Nick, to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. She is surprised to learn that Nick’s family is extremely wealthy (this is an understatement) and he’s considered one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. Thrust into the spotlight, Rachel must now deal with jealous socialites, quirky relatives and something far, far worse — Nick’s disapproving mother.” Not to mention dumpling making with the ultimate matriarch, Nick’s grandmother, Su Yi who owns the largest single piece of private real estate in Singapore with a palace-like mansion called Tysersall Park where she has lived most of her life. Her late husband was Sir James Young, a doctor. She does not approve of Rachel initially or Nick’s mother.
This book has an insane amount of detail that I wasn’t convinced could be turned into a movie, but Warner Brothers not only captured the essence of the book but was also able to convey the important aspects of the book in such a short amount of time. One of the best parts of this movie was the entire cast being of Asian descent. This is the first time in my lifetime that a movie has had an all asian cast in a very mainstream studio.
The lead, Nick Young, played by Henry Golding who the producers said embodied the character in the book to a T and knew he was the right fit for the part as soon as they saw his YouTube videos as a travel host and Instagram photos. He is well traveled and open minded in real life just like the character he plays.
He comes from a generation of indigenous asians from Borneo. It is a very spiritual and mother nature oriented that always have family come first which is something that every asian family can connect with.
Watch out Hollywood, Henry Golding has just gotten started and there is no doubt we will see much more of him! In the mean time, see his debut on the big screen on August 18th in Crazy Rich Asians
Veena Crownholm with Henry Golding
