‘Her entire existence revolved around the acquisition and preservation of fortune,’ writes Kevin Kwan in his latest novel China Rich Girlfriend. Such a statement sums up most characters in this book, which documents the fictional lives of Singaporean family dynasties. China Rich Girlfriend picks up a couple of years after Crazy Rich Asians left off, and we find ourselves in London, following a terrible car accident involving the mysterious young millionaire Carlton. Meanwhile, Rachel and Nick are happily planning for their upcoming Californian wedding. Nick’s estranged mother Eleanor will do anything to attend the wedding (to which she is not invited), and Rachel still hopes she might find out the identity of her father before the big day.

Everybody drives around in big cars, stays in swanky hotels, lives in unimaginably opulent mansions, flits around the world in private jets, and dresses in head-to-toe designer gear. No extravagance is too great, but any show of overt ostentatiousness is severely frowned upon by the social elite. As your average Melbourne student, all this seems more utopian fantasy than standard fiction to me, but if Kwan says this is how the filthy rich live, I’ll willingly suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride.

China Rich Girlfriend, for all its glitz, will surely provide readers with a colourful escape from the humdrum of their, comparatively, dull lives. That said, while it’s fun to read about lavish parties and who ranks higher on China’s rich-list, it’s clear that money can’t buy happiness, or – if you’re happy to go along with Kwan’s generalisations – good taste and social aptitude. Unexpected highlights of the book are Kwan’s frequent and detailed descriptions of food, and often-hilarious English translations of Mandarin expressions. China Rich Girlfriend is a light but addictive read, sure to brighten a wintry day.

Alexandra Mathew