I really enjoyed this novel about three friends in China. Lulu is engaged to a man she doesn’t want to marry, Jane is saving up for plastic surgery because she hates the way she looks, and Rina wants to freeze her eggs so she doesn’t miss out on motherhood. They decide to steal the wedding gift money, a heist that will get each of them what they want most.
I thought this book might be more comedic, like the Aunties books by Jesse Q. Sutanto. And while similar, this book was not laugh-out-loud funny, and in fact really dealt with serious issues, like the pressure on young women in China to marry well and to be good wives and mothers. Shanghai seemed very different from the U.S.; while the underlying issues aren’t so different, the families and spouses exert much more control over women, even independent, educated women.
The three main characters begin the book feeling they are boxed into stereotypical roles. Lulu is pretty but from a poor family, so she’s expected to marry a wealthy man and support her relatives. Jane is expected to be the dutiful wife and be grateful she has a husband. Rina is a career woman who is a slave to her job. They all want more than that. Planning this heist allows them to step out of their comfort zones and I appreciated how clever and devious all of them could be at times. Where Sutanto’s books lean towards silliness, this book will remind you more of those heist movies where many people have a role to play and everything has to be planned to the minute (and of course there are lots of roadblocks along the way).
What I appreciated most about this book was the character development of the three main characters, and the way they struggle in their friendships and relationships. Each has serious issues they are dealing with, in many cases stemming from family abuses or losses. The men in their lives are also multi-dimensional, each dealing with their own issues, and also struggling with gender-based pressures to be in control and support their families. Often with books like this, it’s hard to keep track of the different narrators, but in this book that was never a problem because the characters are so different.
For these three friends, planning the heist should bring them closer together. But what happens when their interests conflict? That, for me, was the most interesting part of the story. Because as time goes on, it’s less and less about the money. This book starts a bit slow and develops thoughtfully as the book goes on, which is something I always like.
Wan is a graduate student and a Bay area native. This is Wan’s first novel and I look forward to reading more from her.
Note: I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley and publisher Graydon House. This book published March 5, 2024.
