A review by fishface
Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw

mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars

Plot points were fairly transparent, although the mysterious lack of character names for each perspective did help maintain the mystique. It could have been more suspenseful however- from the minute Walter proposes Yinghui takes out a loan it becomes apparent he is going to steal from her, so the revelation of his personal grudge wasn't impactful like it could have been. Justin was my favourite character: I too want to shut myself off from the world. He was thriving, in his own way, once the family business collapsed and I feel like that's an interesting take on a character.