Looking at social structures and different tribes of people, how they all fit together, it’s fascinating to me, for some reason. I was really soaking in all the intrigue-and believe me there was a lot of intrigue. There was always a group of kids doing things, but I preferred to sit around and see what the adults were doing. I distinctly remember even growing up in Singapore, parents would take me to parties, these very adult parties. What makes you gravitate toward social satire?įrom a very, very early age, I was put into these positions where I was always the fly on the wall. You have this wonderful ability to poke fun at your characters, which we see again in this book. I didn't want to always just write about Asia.

I felt like I’d put in so much time with this family, these characters, I really wanted to spread my wings and introduce new characters to my readers, new worlds.

What was it like saying goodbye after all this time? Image: Shutterstock/EQRoy Speaking of the new book, it’s your first novel outside the world of Crazy Rich Asians. My years in college really fed my love for literature and writing, and for a few years I was very active on the Houston writing season. But she introduced us to the concept of ‘just write something fun and creative.’ I did, and I discovered I had a talent for it. Before that it was all just book reports and essays-really boring stuff that when you don’t have the passion to write about Walt Whitman, you’re just trying to make the grade. Actually, in my senior year going to Clear Lake High School, there was an amazing teacher, who was really the first teacher to allow us to write creatively. I discovered creative writing and my love for it in high school. How did growing up in Clear Lake shape you into the writer you are today? Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of juicy gossip, family feuds, and a ridiculously lavish destination wedding, neatly bundled in Kwan’s patented, zinging satire.īefore his Inprint livestream, Kwan talked with us about growing up in Clear Lake, getting inspired by songs of heartbreak, and leaving the trilogy that made him a household name behind. Already a New York Times’ bestseller (Kwan’s fourth) since its release in June, Sex and Vanity follows Lucie Tang Churchill, the biracial Chinese American daughter of a 'WASP-y' Big Apple family, caught between her dual identities-and two possible love interests.

Kevin kwan new book 2022