''Sex and Vanity'' is a satirical romantic comedy novel written by

Kevin Kwan Kevin Kwan (born ) is a Singapore-born American novelist and writer of satirical novels ''Crazy Rich Asians'', ''China Rich Girlfriend'', and '' Rich People Problems''. His latest book, '' Sex and Vanity'', was released in June 2020. In 2014, ...

first published in 2020. Centered around the romantic life of a teenager, it was written in four months. It was generally well received by literary critics. A film adaptation of the novel is in development.

Plot

Set in Capri, New York, and

The Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...

, the novel details the escapades of Lucie Tang Churchill, a nineteen-year-old biracial New Yorker and descendent of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

who is engaged to Baron Cecil Pike while being wooed by Chinese Australian surfer George Zao.

Development

The novel was written by Kevin Kwan, author of the ''

Crazy Rich Asians ''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on h ...

'' trilogy. According to Kwan, the title of ''Sex and Vanity'' came from a friend's son who had remarked about his generation: "At the end of the day, all that shit is sex and vanity and I want nothing to do with it." Compared to the ''Crazy Rich Asians'' series, ''Sex and Vanity'' has a smaller cast of characters; Kwan wanted "a much simpler, more intimate story that surrounded one very fascinating young woman." Kwan wrote ''Sex and Vanity'' in four months, from October 2019 to January 2020. Intended to be the first part of a new trilogy, it was released on June 30, 2020, by

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...

Reception

The novel received generally positive reviews from literary critics. It was listed by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' as one of the "100 Must-Read Books of 2020". Angela Haupt of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' described the novel as "vacuous entertainment" and that it was "all style and little substance — unfathomably expensive style, which can be gratifying for those with an appetite for rich-people problems." Francesca Angelini of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' wrote that it is "a straight-up retelling of ''

A Room With a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...

''", whereas ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reviewer Janet Maslin opined that "''Sex and Vanity'' is what ''A Room With a View'' might have been if

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

’s characters had been micron-deep, Instagram-obsessed and unable to make conversation." Writing for the ''Asian Review of Books'', Susan Blumberg-Kason praised ''Sex and Vanity'' for being "a timely story that pokes not too gently at some of society’s less tractable flaws".

Film adaptation

As of July 2020, Sony Pictures has purchased the film rights to ''Sex and Vanity'' and the project is in development.

References

External links

* {{authority control 2020 American novels Novels set in Italy Novels set in Manhattan Doubleday (publisher) books The Hamptons, New York in popular culture