Nick Young

Nick Young is Rachel Chu’s boyfriend of two years, Colin Khoo’s best friend, and the son of Eleanor and Philip Young. Nick is an Oxford graduate with a law and history double major. He has two conflicting identities throughout the novel: the 32-year-old frugal history professor at New York University and the affluent heir of the ultra-private, ultra-wealthy Young family. Nick’s modest life in New York and his luxurious life in Singapore both feel normal to him, despite being polar opposites in terms of lifestyle and culture. His ability to transition smoothly back and forth between these two identities ultimately makes him flippant about Rachel’s ability to adjust to Singapore.

In addition, Nick is very private, which is a source of conflict between him and Rachel for much of the novel. Taught from a young age to never speak about his family’s...