How often do you cheer out loud and do a fist pump when reading a book? The other night, I finished Last Tang Standing by debut author Lauren Ho, and on page 395, I actually did a fist pump. I was giddy as I slid into the last pages.
Set against a world of glamour and wealth in Singapore, Andrea Tang is a 33-year-old UK-educated lawyer on the partner track. The clock is ticking on not only achieving professional success, but also on getting married and starting a family. It looks like she’s about to be the Last Tang Standing, as her gay cousin is entering a marriage of convenience with a straight man to get the family off her back, and secure her part of an inheritance.
With sparkling wit, Last Tang Standing lets us in on Andrea’s family politics; her (mis)adventures with dating apps; and her love-hate relationship with Suresh, the attorney with whom she shares an office. Last Tang Standing is razor sharp, hilarious, and unapologetically, joyfully Asian. It’s one of my top reads for 2020.
Let’s put it this way, Last Tang Standing joins my list of contemporary Asian stories that spark so much joy — right after Crazy Rich Asians, Kim’s Convenience and Always Be My Maybe.
Beneath the day-to-day, Andrea is grappling with family and cultural expectations and actual happiness. The real question at the end is, as one of her friends put it to her, will she stop sleepwalking through life? What and who will she choose? And like I said, fist pump.
If someone doesn’t option this book for film or TV, it’s a crime. I can’t wait to see what Lauren Ho writes next.
P.S. I just wish publishers would stop italicizing non-English words.
Get LAST TANG STANDING at The Ripped Bodice | Bookshop.org |IndieBound| Amazon | Apple Books
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For more 2020 summer reads by Asian authors, check out 12 Summer Reads by Asian Authors to Put on Your TBR.