Fixer Chao

FIXER CHAO by Han Ong
Farrar, Straus & Giroux -- 2001
ISBN: 0374155755 -- Hardcover

Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com
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Han Ong was born and educated in the Philippines. He has written several plays that also deal with what it is like to be an Oriental immigrant. FIXER CHAO is the story of William Paulinha, a young Filipino who bemoans the fact that he is invisible to the rich white Americans, just another Oriental face in a sea of immigrants. He had tried to build a better life for himself in New York City.

He began as a male prostitute, then, he learned to type. From there, he became a data entry clerk, but the good life eluded him. One night, he met Shem C at a dive in William's neighborhood, and Shem had a plan to get revenge on those rich and famous who had cost Shem his family and his career. At least that was his story. But he needed an Oriental man he could pass off as a master of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging the interior of a home or building to block the entry of evil spirits and create peace and harmony in the life of the people who live or work there.

But Shem wanted William to arrange things wrong, to bring harm to these enemies. William liked the plan, especially the money, and the things it bought. Oh, he knew they would get caught eventually. But he didn't plan on his work having the dire consequences it did.

FIXER CHAO takes a hard look at greed and fear among the rich, fear that they will lose everything they have trampled others to get. It also shows us how easy it is to learn to love money instead of the things that matter.