Kevin Kwan's first novel, Crazy Rich Asians, was published in 2013; praised by the New York Times as "a dizzily shopaholic comedy of crass manners" and The Wall Street Journal as "a delightfully soapy debut," it became an international bestseller and is currently being adapted into a feature film. Kwan, who lives in New York, published a sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, last month.
Why did you write your new book?
As always, I wanted to take my readers on a romp through Asia that would be hilarious, appetizing and transporting. I also wrote this book partly as a way to understand and get into the heart of China. Growing up in Singapore, I wasn't allowed to visit China. So when I was finally able to go there after the country began opening up to tourism in the 1990s, I found it to be utterly astounding. I wanted to explore what all this new-found wealth means for the different generations of Chinese who have to live together in this place that is transforming at warp speed into the richest country on the planet.
Which historical period do you wish you'd lived through, and why?
I've always been drawn to the Edwardian period in England. To me, it seems like such a fascinating time, when the British Empire was at the height of its powers and the strict mores of the Victorian age were dissipating into the decadence of King Edward's reign. Perhaps because of my upbringing in Singapore, a former British colony, I feel such a strong connection to the writing of that colonial era – George Bernard Shaw, Rudyard Kipling and especially E.M. Forster. It would have been amazing to have been a student at Oxford during that golden moment in the 1910s, rubbing elbows with the likes of Aldous Huxley and T.E. Lawrence, before World War I shattered everything forever.
Which fictional character do you wish you were?
Tintin. He's an intrepid reporter that's always getting into the most intriguing adventures around the world with his trusty dog, Snowy, at his side. He's been to the moon, climbed Gosainthan, travelled the depths of the ocean in search of treasure and come into contact with extraterrestrials inside a volcanic crater in Java – who wouldn't want to be him? Seriously though, Herge's Tintin series were the books that first instilled in me a love and curiosity for travel, history and adventure. And they taught me a great deal about friendship, loyalty, appreciating other cultures and never giving up even when you're trapped in a mansion with an impossibly high-strung, ear-drum-shattering soprano like Bianca Castafiore.
Which book do you think is underappreciated?
Lake Overturn by Vestal McIntyre. To me, it's one of the most underrated books of the past decade. It's set in the deceptively idyllic small town of Eula, Idaho, in the mid-eighties, but quickly unfurls into an intricate, riveting portrait of a community where everyone – no matter the social strata – is struggling with profound changes in their lives. The book just sweeps you up into the lives of these characters and takes you on the most unexpectedly moving ride. I'm completely in awe of how deftly McIntyre manages to juggle half a dozen intersecting plots, all the while crafting such rich, idiosyncratic characters. Everyone I've recommended this book to – writers, in particular – has fallen in love with it.
Which books have you reread most in your life?
Dominick Dunne's People Like Us, E.M. Forster's A Room With A View, Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album, and I must have reread every Tintin comic book at least 50 times.
Editor's note: Tintin's character climbed Gosainthan. Incorrect information appeared in the original version of this article.