Today's guest: Kevin Kwan
Why we want to spend 7 Seconds in Heaven with him: OMG. Read the book. You'll understand!
His debut: Crazy Rich Asians
The scoop: Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.
Our thoughts: Hilarious. Fascinating. Fun. Original. We could go on and on and on.
Giveaway: One SIGNED copy! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winner after 12pm on Sunday, September 1.
Fun fact: Crazy Rich Asians has already been optioned to be a movie!
CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...7 SECONDS IN HEAVEN WITH KEVIN KWAN
1. I love being on airplanes when there's lots of turbulence. Like, the bumpier the better. I get a strange thrill out of it.
2. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I had a fish tank and began to obsessively cultivate a vast array of species. I started with the basic stuff like goldfish and guppies, but quickly graduated to more exotic fish like African Cichlids of Lake Tanganyika. At the height of my craze, I had a saltwater tank with a lionfish, a leopard grouper, a Picasso triggerfish, a sting ray, a queen angelfish and an octopus. Then I hit puberty and promptly lost interest in all of it.
3. Call me old fashioned, but one of my pet peeves is men who don't get up from the table whenever a woman arrives or departs, or let the ladies exit the elevator first.
4. One of these days I am going to take up hang gliding. I know it sounds cheesy, but I want to hang glide over the Grand Canyon at sunset.
5. People rarely see me eating fruits, but that's because most of the fruits I like are tropical fruits not available in the Northern Hemisphere. Like rambutans, chikus, durians, and my favorite of all, mangosteens.
6. In my next life, I’d like to attend Oxford University. (Although I would want it to be 1912, and I'd have a hard time choosing between Balliol, Christ Church, or Magdalen colleges.)
7. I'd like to live in Naples for a year. The sheer beautiful chaos of the city, the ancient buildings in various states of crumbling, the insanity of the drivers, it all absolutely fascinates me. And of course, they have the best pizza on earth.
Thanks, Kevin!