37 Books like How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

This Is Where the Serpent Lives

by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Four lives in Pakistan's feudal order reveal the same rule: you rise by betraying someone.

3.88

3k+

🏰 Feudal Pakistan 🔗 Interlinked Stories 📚 Postcolonial Literature 🤝 Master Servant Dynamic 🌳 Intergenerational Saga

This Is Where the Serpent Lives 93%

Four lives in Pakistan's feudal order reveal the same rule: you rise by betraying someone.

by Daniyal Mueenuddin 2026

3.88

3k+ ratings

🏰 Feudal Pakistan 🔗 Interlinked Stories 📚 Postcolonial Literature 🤝 Master Servant Dynamic 🌳 Intergenerational Saga

When the Fireflies Dance

by Aisha Hassan • 2025

Exiled from bonded labor at a Lahore kiln, a boy must steal to free his family.

4.19

4k+

🏚️ Generational Poverty 🏭 Gritty Social Realism 🤝 Found Family 💔 Self-Sacrifice 💼 Cross-Class Romance

When the Fireflies Dance 92%

Exiled from bonded labor at a Lahore kiln, a boy must steal to free his family.

by Aisha Hassan 2025

4.19

4k+ ratings

🏚️ Generational Poverty 🏭 Gritty Social Realism 🤝 Found Family 💔 Self-Sacrifice 💼 Cross-Class Romance

Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai by Umera Ahmed

by Umera Ahmed • 1998

Abandoned by her Pakistani father, a British woman stumbles toward an unlikely redemption in Islam.

3.66

590

🖋️ Urdu Literature 🕌 Spiritual Awakening 💔 Father Abandonment 🎨 Art As Redemption 🌍 Cultural Dual Identity

Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai by Umera Ahmed Summary

Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai by Umera Ahmed 91%

Abandoned by her Pakistani father, a British woman stumbles toward an unlikely redemption in Islam.

by Umera Ahmed 1998

3.66

590 ratings

🖋️ Urdu Literature 🕌 Spiritual Awakening 💔 Father Abandonment 🎨 Art As Redemption 🌍 Cultural Dual Identity

Interior Chinatown

by Charles Yu • 2020

Willis Wu, perpetual background Asian in the cop show of his life, is done waiting.

3.93

74k+

🎬 Hollywood Satire 🏠 Immigrant Family Saga 👤 Invisible Protagonist 💔 Parental Sacrifice 👨‍👧 Fatherhood Redemption

Interior Chinatown 89%

Willis Wu, perpetual background Asian in the cop show of his life, is done waiting.

by Charles Yu 2020

3.93

74k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Satire 🏠 Immigrant Family Saga 👤 Invisible Protagonist 💔 Parental Sacrifice 👨‍👧 Fatherhood Redemption

Behold the Dreamers

by Imbolo Mbue • 2016

A Cameroonian family's American dream rests on a Wall Street job, until the 2008 collapse.

3.94

86k+

🌍 Immigrant Experience 🏚️ American Dream Myth 💸 Class Disparity 🤝 Cross-Class Friendship 🏠 Family Sacrifice

Behold the Dreamers 89%

A Cameroonian family's American dream rests on a Wall Street job, until the 2008 collapse.

by Imbolo Mbue 2016

3.94

86k+ ratings

🌍 Immigrant Experience 🏚️ American Dream Myth 💸 Class Disparity 🤝 Cross-Class Friendship 🏠 Family Sacrifice

The Accidental Malay

by Karina Robles Bahrin • 2022

A Chinese-Malaysian heiress learns she was born Muslim, and her pork empire hangs in the balance.

3.49

1k+

🧬 Mixed-Race Identity 🏢 Family Business Saga 🔐 Family Secrets 💔 Forbidden Love 💼 Women In Business

The Accidental Malay 89%

A Chinese-Malaysian heiress learns she was born Muslim, and her pork empire hangs in the balance.

by Karina Robles Bahrin 2022

3.49

1k+ ratings

🧬 Mixed-Race Identity 🏢 Family Business Saga 🔐 Family Secrets 💔 Forbidden Love 💼 Women In Business

Crazy Rich Asians

by Kevin Kwan • 2013

An American discovers her Singaporean boyfriend is a secret heir, and his mother plots her downfall.

3.91

552k+

🤑 Secret Billionaire 🌏 Old Money Asia 👵 Disapproving Mother-In-Law 🎭 Social Comedy 🍸 Opulent World

Crazy Rich Asians 89%

An American discovers her Singaporean boyfriend is a secret heir, and his mother plots her downfall.

by Kevin Kwan 2013

3.91

552k+ ratings

🤑 Secret Billionaire 🌏 Old Money Asia 👵 Disapproving Mother-In-Law 🎭 Social Comedy 🍸 Opulent World

Sex and Vanity

by Kevin Kwan • 2020

At a glamorous Capri wedding, a reckless kiss with an outsider threatens her perfect engagement.

3.33

63k+

🎭 Comedy Of Manners 💸 Old Money Vs New Money 💒 Destination Wedding 👪 Family Disapproval 🧬 Biracial Identity

Sex and Vanity 89%

At a glamorous Capri wedding, a reckless kiss with an outsider threatens her perfect engagement.

by Kevin Kwan 2020

3.33

63k+ ratings

🎭 Comedy Of Manners 💸 Old Money Vs New Money 💒 Destination Wedding 👪 Family Disapproval 🧬 Biracial Identity

A Better Life

by Lionel Shriver • 2026

A Brooklyn family opens its home to a migrant, and gratitude curdles into slow-motion occupation.

3.97

2k+

📰 Political Satire 🏚️ Home As Battleground 💔 Misguided Altruism 🚪 Guest Becomes Occupier 🎭 Dark Comedy

A Better Life 89%

A Brooklyn family opens its home to a migrant, and gratitude curdles into slow-motion occupation.

by Lionel Shriver 2026

3.97

2k+ ratings

📰 Political Satire 🏚️ Home As Battleground 💔 Misguided Altruism 🚪 Guest Becomes Occupier 🎭 Dark Comedy

What a Carve Up!

by Jonathan Coe • 1994

A lonely biographer uncovers how one family's greed poisoned Britain, then the murders start.

4.11

13k+

🎭 Political Satire 🏚️ Country House Mystery 😈 Family Of Villains 📖 Metafiction ⚖️ Karmic Retribution

What a Carve Up! 89%

A lonely biographer uncovers how one family's greed poisoned Britain, then the murders start.

by Jonathan Coe 1994

4.11

13k+ ratings

🎭 Political Satire 🏚️ Country House Mystery 😈 Family Of Villains 📖 Metafiction ⚖️ Karmic Retribution

Sudha Murthy Kit

by Sudha Murty

An Indian mother-in-law worships the dollar until she crosses the ocean and meets its true cost.

4.29

139

🏡 Indian Family Drama ✈️ Immigrant Fiction 👵 Mother-In-Law Conflict 🌏 Cultural Clash 💰 Materialism Critique

Sudha Murthy Kit 89%

An Indian mother-in-law worships the dollar until she crosses the ocean and meets its true cost.

by Sudha Murty

4.29

139 ratings

🏡 Indian Family Drama ✈️ Immigrant Fiction 👵 Mother-In-Law Conflict 🌏 Cultural Clash 💰 Materialism Critique

On Such a Full Sea

by Chang-rae Lee • 2014

When her boyfriend vanishes, a diver abandons her walled settlement for the dangerous open counties.

3.49

12k+

🏙️ Literary Dystopia 🏚️ Post-Collapse Society 🌏 Asian Diaspora ⚒️ Labor And Privilege 👀 Outsider In Elite World

On Such a Full Sea 89%

When her boyfriend vanishes, a diver abandons her walled settlement for the dangerous open counties.

by Chang-rae Lee 2014

3.49

12k+ ratings

🏙️ Literary Dystopia 🏚️ Post-Collapse Society 🌏 Asian Diaspora ⚒️ Labor And Privilege 👀 Outsider In Elite World

The Yacoubian Building

by Alaa Al Aswany • 2002

A fading Cairo building: three tenants test what dignity costs when the state is the landlord.

3.72

23k+

🏙️ Social Realism 🎭 Ensemble Narrative 🕌 Cairo Fiction ⚖️ Class Conflict 💰 Political Corruption

The Yacoubian Building 88%

A fading Cairo building: three tenants test what dignity costs when the state is the landlord.

by Alaa Al Aswany 2002

3.72

23k+ ratings

🏙️ Social Realism 🎭 Ensemble Narrative 🕌 Cairo Fiction ⚖️ Class Conflict 💰 Political Corruption

The White Tiger

by Aravind Adiga • 2008

Writing to China's Premier, an Indian driver confesses to killing his boss for his freedom.

3.77

204k+

🎭 Dark Social Satire 🔗 Servant Narrative 💰 Rags To Riches ⚖️ Moral Descent 👁️ Unreliable Narrator

The White Tiger 91%

Writing to China's Premier, an Indian driver confesses to killing his boss for his freedom.

by Aravind Adiga 2008

3.77

204k+ ratings

🎭 Dark Social Satire 🔗 Servant Narrative 💰 Rags To Riches ⚖️ Moral Descent 👁️ Unreliable Narrator

The Tortilla Curtain

by T. Coraghessan Boyle • 1995

A nature writer hits an undocumented man. His gated community builds walls. Two families collide.

3.66

35k+

🎭 Social Satire 🏚️ Undocumented Lives 🎪 Liberal Hypocrisy 💰 Class Divide 📖 Dual Narratives

The Tortilla Curtain 90%

A nature writer hits an undocumented man. His gated community builds walls. Two families collide.

by T. Coraghessan Boyle 1995

3.66

35k+ ratings

🎭 Social Satire 🏚️ Undocumented Lives 🎪 Liberal Hypocrisy 💰 Class Divide 📖 Dual Narratives

Workhorse

by Caroline Palmer

A fashion magazine assistant steals her way into a Fifth Avenue family whose glitter hides rot.

3.56

12k+

🪜 Social Climbing 👠 Fashion Industry 🔪 Female Antihero 💔 Obsessive Friendship 🎨 Stolen Art

Workhorse 88%

A fashion magazine assistant steals her way into a Fifth Avenue family whose glitter hides rot.

by Caroline Palmer 2025

3.56

12k+ ratings

🪜 Social Climbing 👠 Fashion Industry 🔪 Female Antihero 💔 Obsessive Friendship 🎨 Stolen Art

A Hologram for the King

by Dave Eggers • 2012

In a half-built Saudi city, a fading salesman waits for a king who never arrives.

3.29

30k+

🌐 Economic Displacement ⏳ Midlife Reckoning ✉️ Unsent Letters 🤝 Cross-Cultural Friendship 👨‍👧 Fatherhood And Regret

A Hologram for the King 88%

In a half-built Saudi city, a fading salesman waits for a king who never arrives.

by Dave Eggers 2012

3.29

30k+ ratings

🌐 Economic Displacement ⏳ Midlife Reckoning ✉️ Unsent Letters 🤝 Cross-Cultural Friendship 👨‍👧 Fatherhood And Regret

Yellowface

by R.F. Kuang • 2023

A failed author steals her dead friend's manuscript and rides the lie to bestseller fame.

3.72

1.1M+

🖋️ Publishing Satire 📖 Literary Thriller ✍️ Literary Theft 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 🌏 Cultural Appropriation

Yellowface 88%

A failed author steals her dead friend's manuscript and rides the lie to bestseller fame.

by R.F. Kuang 2023

3.72

1.1M+ ratings

🖋️ Publishing Satire 📖 Literary Thriller ✍️ Literary Theft 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 🌏 Cultural Appropriation

Truth in Advertising

by John Kenney • 2013

A copywriter who fakes sincerity for a living must finally show up for his dying father.

3.74

3k+

🎬 Advertising Satire 📖 Literary Satire 👴 Parental Estrangement 🕳️ Midlife Crisis 💔 Fear Of Intimacy

Truth in Advertising 88%

A copywriter who fakes sincerity for a living must finally show up for his dying father.

by John Kenney 2013

3.74

3k+ ratings

🎬 Advertising Satire 📖 Literary Satire 👴 Parental Estrangement 🕳️ Midlife Crisis 💔 Fear Of Intimacy

Fundamentally

by Nussaibah Younis • 2025

A secular academic deradicalizes ISIS brides in Baghdad, until one woman mirrors her own lost faith.

3.71

21k+

😈 Darkly Comic 🕌 Ex-Muslim Narrative 🌍 Humanitarian Aid 🇮🇶 Post-War Iraq 💔 Trauma Bonding

Fundamentally 88%

A secular academic deradicalizes ISIS brides in Baghdad, until one woman mirrors her own lost faith.

by Nussaibah Younis 2025

3.71

21k+ ratings

😈 Darkly Comic 🕌 Ex-Muslim Narrative 🌍 Humanitarian Aid 🇮🇶 Post-War Iraq 💔 Trauma Bonding

The Namesake

by Jhumpa Lahiri • 2003

He was named after a Russian author, a decision that shapes his entire American life.

4.02

286k+

🕉️ Bengali American Life 🪪 Dual Identity 🌍 Cultural Assimilation 🍂 Melancholic 🛕 Calcutta Connection

The Namesake 88%

He was named after a Russian author, a decision that shapes his entire American life.

by Jhumpa Lahiri 2003

4.02

286k+ ratings

🕉️ Bengali American Life 🪪 Dual Identity 🌍 Cultural Assimilation 🍂 Melancholic 🛕 Calcutta Connection

Arts & Entertainments

by Christopher R. Beha • 2014

His sex tape with a celebrity ex leaks; a reality show devours his family and future.

3.20

988

📰 Media Satire 📺 Reality Television 🤰 Fertility Struggles 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 💔 Staged Romance

Arts & Entertainments 88%

His sex tape with a celebrity ex leaks; a reality show devours his family and future.

by Christopher R. Beha 2014

3.20

988 ratings

📰 Media Satire 📺 Reality Television 🤰 Fertility Struggles 🤥 Unreliable Narrator 💔 Staged Romance

Come and Get It

by Kiley Reid • 2024

A visiting professor's relationship with a student RA upends her research and her sense of self.

3.32

47k+

🏫 Campus Novel 🏳️‍🌈 Queer Protagonist 🌀 Blurred Boundaries 💸 Financial Anxiety 🎭 Social Satire

Come and Get It 88%

A visiting professor's relationship with a student RA upends her research and her sense of self.

by Kiley Reid 2024

3.32

47k+ ratings

🏫 Campus Novel 🏳️‍🌈 Queer Protagonist 🌀 Blurred Boundaries 💸 Financial Anxiety 🎭 Social Satire

The Great Indian Novel

by Shashi Tharoor • 1989

India's history as myth: Gandhi the celibate warrior, Indira the empress, democracy lost at dice.

3.89

7k+

🎭 Political Satire 📜 Mythological Retelling 🌏 Postcolonial Fiction 🏛️ Reimagined Epic 🌳 Generational Saga

The Great Indian Novel 88%

India's history as myth: Gandhi the celibate warrior, Indira the empress, democracy lost at dice.

by Shashi Tharoor 1989

3.89

7k+ ratings

🎭 Political Satire 📜 Mythological Retelling 🌏 Postcolonial Fiction 🏛️ Reimagined Epic 🌳 Generational Saga

The Madams

by Zukiswa Wanner • 2007

A Johannesburg mum hires a white maid to dodge guilt; the role reversal tests her closest bonds.

3.66

182

🌍 Post-Apartheid Society 🧹 Domestic Worker Fiction 🔄 Role Reversal 😏 Witty Social Satire 👯‍♀️ Female Friendship

The Madams 88%

A Johannesburg mum hires a white maid to dodge guilt; the role reversal tests her closest bonds.

by Zukiswa Wanner 2007

3.66

182 ratings

🌍 Post-Apartheid Society 🧹 Domestic Worker Fiction 🔄 Role Reversal 😏 Witty Social Satire 👯‍♀️ Female Friendship

White Teeth

by Zadie Smith • 2000

Two wartime pals and their kids battle God, science, and identity in a chaotic London.

3.79

177k+

🇬🇧 Multicultural London 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Saga 🌱 Children Of Immigrants ⚔️ Religious Radicalism 🧬 Genetic Engineering Ethics

White Teeth 88%

Two wartime pals and their kids battle God, science, and identity in a chaotic London.

by Zadie Smith 2000

3.79

177k+ ratings

🇬🇧 Multicultural London 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Saga 🌱 Children Of Immigrants ⚔️ Religious Radicalism 🧬 Genetic Engineering Ethics

All That Life Can Afford

by Emily Everett

A broke American tutor in London borrows a rich life she cannot afford to keep.

3.63

38k+

🎭 Class Passing 🐠 Fish Out Of Water 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🫂 Found Family 🕯️ Grief And Loss

All That Life Can Afford 88%

A broke American tutor in London borrows a rich life she cannot afford to keep.

by Emily Everett 2025

3.63

38k+ ratings

🎭 Class Passing 🐠 Fish Out Of Water 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🫂 Found Family 🕯️ Grief And Loss

Q & A

by Vikas Swarup • 2005

After winning a fortune on a quiz show, a penniless waiter must defend his impossible knowledge.

4.03

39k+

🪙 Rags To Riches 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family 🎭 Dark Comedy 🇮🇳 Contemporary India

Q & A 90%

After winning a fortune on a quiz show, a penniless waiter must defend his impossible knowledge.

by Vikas Swarup 2005

4.03

39k+ ratings

🪙 Rags To Riches 🧒 Orphan Protagonist 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family 🎭 Dark Comedy 🇮🇳 Contemporary India

One Night at the Call Center

by Chetan Bhagat • 2005

God calls a Gurgaon call center one night, challenging six workers to change their lives.

2.54

62k+

🏢 Corporate Satire 💞 Second Chance Romance 👪 Found Family 📞 Divine Intervention ✊ Workplace Rebellion

One Night at the Call Center 89%

God calls a Gurgaon call center one night, challenging six workers to change their lives.

by Chetan Bhagat 2005

2.54

62k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Satire 💞 Second Chance Romance 👪 Found Family 📞 Divine Intervention ✊ Workplace Rebellion

White Ivy

by Susie Yang • 2020

An immigrant's daughter schemes into Boston high society, until her past lover demands she confess.

3.55

35k+

🖤 Psychological Suspense 📚 Literary Crime 💎 Social Climbing 🌏 Immigrant Ambition 😰 Woman On The Edge

White Ivy 88%

An immigrant's daughter schemes into Boston high society, until her past lover demands she confess.

by Susie Yang 2020

3.55

35k+ ratings

🖤 Psychological Suspense 📚 Literary Crime 💎 Social Climbing 🌏 Immigrant Ambition 😰 Woman On The Edge

Vera, or Faith

by Gary Shteyngart • 2025

A ten-year-old spies on her father and uncovers a secret more dangerous than her parents' divorce.

3.87

9k+

🎭 Political Satire 🇺🇸 Near Future America 🧠 Precocious Narrator 🔍 Search For Origins 🔒 Family Secrets

Vera, or Faith 88%

A ten-year-old spies on her father and uncovers a secret more dangerous than her parents' divorce.

by Gary Shteyngart 2025

3.87

9k+ ratings

🎭 Political Satire 🇺🇸 Near Future America 🧠 Precocious Narrator 🔍 Search For Origins 🔒 Family Secrets

Show Don't Tell

by Curtis Sittenfeld • 2025

Twelve stories exposing the hunger, hypocrisy, and heartbreak of ordinary life.

3.89

18k+

🎭 Social Satire 🕰️ Midlife Reflection ⚔️ Ambition And Envy 🤦 Liberal Guilt 🍂 Bittersweet Nostalgia

Show Don't Tell 88%

Twelve stories exposing the hunger, hypocrisy, and heartbreak of ordinary life.

by Curtis Sittenfeld 2025

3.89

18k+ ratings

🎭 Social Satire 🕰️ Midlife Reflection ⚔️ Ambition And Envy 🤦 Liberal Guilt 🍂 Bittersweet Nostalgia

Flat Earth

by Anika Jade Levy • 2025

A broke graduate student commodifies her body, her labor, her envy of her filmmaker best friend.

3.10

2k+

📝 Autofiction 💔 Toxic Female Friendship 😞 Self Loathing 💰 Transactional Intimacy 🎭 Literary Satire

Flat Earth 88%

A broke graduate student commodifies her body, her labor, her envy of her filmmaker best friend.

by Anika Jade Levy 2025

3.10

2k+ ratings

📝 Autofiction 💔 Toxic Female Friendship 😞 Self Loathing 💰 Transactional Intimacy 🎭 Literary Satire

The Mandibles

by Lionel Shriver • 2016

The Mandibles waited decades for an inheritance that disappears the night America defaults.

3.71

12k+

🏚️ Economic Collapse 💸 Failed Inheritance 👁️ Surveillance State 📉 Generational Decline 🐌 Slow Apocalypse

The Mandibles 88%

The Mandibles waited decades for an inheritance that disappears the night America defaults.

by Lionel Shriver 2016

3.71

12k+ ratings

🏚️ Economic Collapse 💸 Failed Inheritance 👁️ Surveillance State 📉 Generational Decline 🐌 Slow Apocalypse

The Lives of Others

by Neel Mukherjee • 2014

1960s Bengal: a wealthy family decays as one grandson vanishes into a peasant revolution.

3.68

5k+

👪 Family Saga 🧩 Dual Narrative ✊ Revolutionary Idealism 👴👵 Generational Conflict ⚖️ Class Divide

The Lives of Others 88%

1960s Bengal: a wealthy family decays as one grandson vanishes into a peasant revolution.

by Neel Mukherjee 2014

3.68

5k+ ratings

👪 Family Saga 🧩 Dual Narrative ✊ Revolutionary Idealism 👴👵 Generational Conflict ⚖️ Class Divide

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

by Ottessa Moshfegh • 2018

She's young, rich, and so empty she plans to drug herself into a year-long hibernation.

3.60

580k+

👤 Female Misanthrope 🗣️ Toxic Friendship 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 😐 Deadpan Satire 🌫️ Eerie Calm

My Year of Rest and Relaxation 88%

She's young, rich, and so empty she plans to drug herself into a year-long hibernation.

by Ottessa Moshfegh 2018

3.60

580k+ ratings

👤 Female Misanthrope 🗣️ Toxic Friendship 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 😐 Deadpan Satire 🌫️ Eerie Calm

Interpreter of Maladies

by Jhumpa Lahiri • 1999

Nine stories of the Indian diaspora: the small devastations of distance and the search for home.

4.18

208k+

✈️ Immigrant Fiction 🔗 Linked Short Stories 💔 Marital Estrangement 🌍 Cultural Displacement 🗝️ Confession And Secrets

Interpreter of Maladies 88%

Nine stories of the Indian diaspora: the small devastations of distance and the search for home.

by Jhumpa Lahiri 1999

4.18

208k+ ratings

✈️ Immigrant Fiction 🔗 Linked Short Stories 💔 Marital Estrangement 🌍 Cultural Displacement 🗝️ Confession And Secrets

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