In their debut novel following their memoir Raised by Wolves, Ho’s signature sarcasm is present throughout but some characters border on caricature
Amy Chan is a late-20s queer, non-binary Asian artist who works precarious casual jobs. Edward Smith is a 45-year-old self-described CEO whose interests include “Billy Joel, champagne, steak night at the pub and the odd cigar”. When we meet them at the beginning of People With Money, they are in a marriage counselling session.
Race, class and gender are all tension points in this mismatched relationship, but how exactly did these two come together in the first place? That’s the question posed by Melbourne author Jess Ho in their first novel following the 2022 memoir Raised by Wolves. And the answer is in the title.