'Five Star Billionaire' by Tash Aw

Five Star Billionaire is a novel that explores the relationship, some would say obsession, that its five central characters have with material wealth. All are Malaysian migrants, who, whether by choice or coercion, have moved to Shanghai in the pursuit of a better life. This journey proves to be a treacherous path for all.

First, there is Justin, a middle aged heir to a family business that he has been shaped to run since birth. His is a tale riven with the powerlessness of a man forced down a certain path in life by unloving parents. He is competent but uninspired, pale in comparison to his charismatic and feckless brother CS, a man who was once engaged to Yinghui, a woman for whom Justin holds a deep and unrequited love.

Yinghui herself is a converted idealist who represses her unhappy past with CS to concentrate on her present venture - a booming lingerie business that has overtaken her life. This leads her indirectly into the arms of a new man, a mysterious presence who hovers thoughout the story, a man by the name of Walter Chao.

Walter is a curious creation, the writer of a self help manual on how to get rich. He uses the painful example of his father as an example of how not to do it. These vignettes from his book intersect with the main narrative of the story of the other characters and the role that Walter plays in their present. The man himself remains an enigma to the end.

Two younger characters, Gary and Phoebe share an anonymous online relationship that helps to alleviate their growing sense of disillusion with the dreams they once pursued.

Gary is an ailing pop star, whose life off stage is by turns chaotic (on the rare occasions he is allowed out by his management) and lonely (when otherwise imprisoned in a hotel awaiting his next gig). Tash Aw shows an acute understanding of the isolating effects of celebrity - Gary cannot even leave his hotel without being mobbed.

By contrast, no one really knows Phoebe, a girl who pursues her dream of a better life ruthelessly. Unfortunately, her pursuit of this dream is backed up by a wreckless dishonesty which leads her to tell a series of lies that endanger the career she has set out to build for herself.

The lives of all of these characters touch at various points throughout the narrative, and whilst this does at times feel like a convenient plot device in a city of 23 million people, it does work. Tash Aw is very convincing when creating the lives and relationships of these well rounded human beings. An acute and well realised picture of each of them springs to mind when prompted to reflect on the book.

Even minor characters, such as Phoebe's shy and defensive flatmate Yanyan, are well realised. In particular, Justin's journey is populated by scores of vicious family members and competitors who attempt to manipulate him. All of the characters experience spells of loneliness, but his is the most heartbreaking and unnecessary journey into social isolation.

The quality of the writing is exceptionally high, especially when covering the sense of fear and doubt with which the city of Shanghai infects all of the characters. This novel is evidence of a rare talent giving full cry to his abilities and even though the themes of the book are somewhat bleak, the closing chapters offer several kernels of hope.

Highly recommended.

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