How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Every man cheats. This is Asia. Every guy has mistresses, girlfriends, flings on the side. It's a normal thing. A status thing. (1.15.25)
What an interesting status symbol: extramarital affairs. This underscores a tension in the novel: does money mean class?
Quote #5
"He's so well brought up. I can tell just by looking at how he behaves during dinner. Such lovely manners, and he always offers me the best part of the meat, like the fish cheek or the juiciest piece of duck." (2.17.16)
Nick Young is a pretty stand-up guy, and Kerry Chu knows it. While he's been polished up by finishing schools, it's easy to say that his behavior isn't a result of his upbringing, but a result of him just being a darn good guy.
Quote #6
But in Singapore, Annabel soon discovered that beyond the bold-faced names that eagerly invited her to all the glamorous galas, there hid a whole other level of society that was impervious to the flash of money, especially Mainland Chinese money. These people were snobbier and more impenetrable than anything she had ever encountered…Tonight she was finally going to be invited in. (3.2.5-3.2.6.)
Even Annabel Lee, a woman able to drop $40 million on her daughter's wedding, is excluded from the social world of the Leongs, Shangs, and Youngs.