As I have stated in a previous post I love learning about other cultures. Rich People Problems, the third book in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, provides readers like me with insight into a number of different cultures as it tells the story of the Young family and all the relatives on the outskirts. While the previous books focus more on Nick and Rachel this book also tells more about Kitty Pong and adds to the backstory of Su Yi, Nicks grandmother and the family matriarch.
The culture that is most foreign to my own and the largest aspect of the book is that of the incredibly wealthy. Characters have their own planes and buy dresses that cost as much as my house yet also fight over tailors who can make them knock off clothes. Nick and Rachel live in New York after Nick was disowned by his grandmother for marrying Rachel and aren’t as focused on the money, but they live comfortably which probably contributes to them not caring. Most of the family is concerned with money. The character most concerned is Kitty Bing (formerly Pong) who wants to have the most power and money after coming from nothing. Kitty is not a character I care for and I felt the book spent too much time focused on her. Her character seems to have changed by the end but it is hard to tell if it is genuine because it is brief and after a time jump.
The other culture I got a peek into is Asian culture (more specifically China, Signapore, and Thailand). The most difficult part for me to follow was the food, which is a central part of the book. If I wasn’t so interested in finding out what happened next I would have Googled the food to better visualize them. In addition through Rachel I got look at second generation Chinese in America.
One change in this book I did enjoy was getting more insight into Su Yi. Even after two books she is still a mystery, but this book provides some insightful flashbacks in her life. She is a character worth learning more about.
You definitely want to read the first two books first but if you enjoy them this is worth a read. It is fast paced and helps further develop some of the more interesting characters in the previous two books.