Rating: 
Summary: Underneath it All, Were All Pretty Much the Same
Review: William Paulinha is an aimless, Filipino street hustler in New York who's done plenty of menial jobs, including turning tricks in the Port Authority men's room. Then one day he's given a chance to improve his lot by Shem C, an embittered social-climbing writer, who wants revenge on the uppercrust of Manhattan's elite who have rejected him. Under Shem C's guidance and armed with the knowledge from a few library books, William is transformed into Master Chao, a revered Feng Shui practitioner from Hong Kong. William, as Master Chao, performs Feng Shui ceremonies to harmonize the homes and the lives of his clients and before long Manhattan's loftiest poets, writers, editors and bankers are all clamoring for his advice.As the scam escalates, the line between truth and untruth starts to blur. William becomes Master Chao in his mind. His original class envy and disdain is replaced by his desire to belong. Is it really a scam if he believes in it himself? Has the Feng Shui con of the century turned on him? With caustic wit, Mr. Ong paints a picture of the foolishness of keeping up with the Jones's, but he also shows his readers that underneath even a pile of wealth, people are pretty much the same in this novel that I couldn't put down. Andy Raven, Raving United Fan
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