Status Updates From Five Star Billionaire

Page 420/437.The last 80 pages really brought our five characters together- Walter mentions how he accompanied his father to a developer's office that bought out the old hotel he'd bought a few years back and has only caused financial misery for him,that's when he first saw Justin Lim, 2 years younger than him, and keeps track of him through the years as Walt gains incredible wealth (better busi. ventures than dad's)

Master at arranging a scene.

Walter lives in an unfurnished luxury apartment and has all kinds of self help, become rich books and claims he wrote Phoebe's favorite, Secrets of a Five Star Billionaire, under a pseudonym. Is he the fraud the bank lady warned Yinghui from? D-R-A-M-A!

At this point I'm not sure this novel is going to have any sort of conclusion or a tied up end for its characters. Walter will tire of datingPhoebe, or more likely shr'd be tired of him. Justin will maybe partner up romantically with Yinghui and they'd become a business power couple. Gary will rebuild his career and Phoebe will fall into his arnms when he confesses his true identity ob their nighttime chats. Too long

explores loneliness from all angles. Dark and depressing at times, uplifting at times, but always fascinating.

The exploration of characters and their relationship, how they argue, what makes them cave or not express themselves as coherently as they're used to is so real and raw. I love it. The emphasis on urban exploration, discussions on gentrification and land greed and developement on top of historic yet unwanted building is heart wrenching. Shanghai vs Kota Bharu, KL vs its subrubs, it's all so lovingly described.

Unputdownable.

Except Phoebe, all POVs are mainly flashbacks and reflecting on their past, which is interesting but feels a bit repetitive.

In chapter 11, Gary is caved in his hotel room, ruined. And we're told what the journalists swarming his hometown would kill to know - how he came to this world and what happened to him before being sent away to live rural w his uncle. His mother fell in love w her piano teacher, married him against her parents' will and was left to care for her baby after her husband left her multiple times.

Everybody's life is so richly described and writing is so dense and engaging.

I feel soaked in the magic of Shanghai nighttime. Justin who spent three depressing months in bed is finally opening up his laptop, deleting all his unread emails and in a sharp contrast to his previous state, is gently interacting with his neighbors. The shift from well of lonliness to exchanges with living breathing people is making my heart clench with pride and joy that he's going to rebuild his life.

The setting of Shanghai is emaculately evoked in all perspectives. They're all interesting and once you open this book you can't stop reading ' but ut's tough to open this book to begin with for some reason. I suspect it's because my edition has tiny font.

Chapter 2. A workaholic real estate heir planning his break into the Mainland is spiralling down depression lane in Shanghai, making himself numb towards everything he once held in high regard - business, public opinion, his family - and setting himself in a painfully long process.