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Give Me a Fix , Fixer Chao

By Grace Talusan

The cover of the novel Fixer Chao by Han Ong.

Han Ong’s debut novel, Fixer Chao, is a tightly woven narrative, taking the reader on a journey into the homes and parties of New York City’s elite, as well as into the grimy bathroom stalls of the Port Authority Bus Station where businessmen pay for sex. Fast-paced and full of hip dialogue, this novel is a contemporary glance into the lives of the haves and have-nots, and how those two worlds collide.

William Paulinha is a street hustler trying to get by in the big city. He has worked all sorts of odd jobs, including a stint in the oral sex industry. This narrator is savvy, and the filter with which he sees his world is intelligent and fascinating. He understands what his role is for his clients besides satisfying sexual need. “They’ve had disastrous days and want to take out their frustration on someone. I’m perfect, a skinny colored kid. . .”

Author Han Ong. Photo courtesy of www.fsbassociates.com

It is this reflective and rough-edged voice that make this novel so unique. William is an outsider in so many ways — he is Filipino, gay, and always in search of ways to make ends meet. His attitude and consciousness of his position color every adventure.

When William meets Shem C., a failed writer whose wife has just left him, William is ready for something different. Although reluctant at first, William takes part in Shem C.’s plan for revenge against those in New York City’s elite who have hurt him. With Shem C.’s coaching, and little more than new clothes and information gleaned from books on feng shui from the public library, William is transformed from street hustler into lifestyle guru for the rich and famous. William becomes Master Chao, a Chinese feng shui expert who scams the rich into parting with their money in exchange for his directives in interior design.

The characters William meets through his work as a feng shui master are not that different from his acquaintances in the underworld. All of them want the same things — success, love, and happiness — and the amount of wealth they have or lack seems not to make much of a difference in their happiness. That the rich have problems, too, is nothing new, except of course, that the rich live out their conflicted lives in fancy apartments, wearing designer clothing, while William’s struggling friends must deal with their life’s disappointments along with money problems.

William expertly seduces the wealthy contacts he meets through Shem C. into believing that he can make a difference in their lives by rearranging their home furnishings. With their confidence won, William embarks on the revenge plan Shem C. has devised: to create misfortune for his enemies. If feng shui can work to improve lives, then it can also be used to contribute to a person’s downfall. What William has to gain from this arrangement is money, but he finds his new power, fame, and respect added bonuses.

The ripples of excitement William spreads amongst the wealthy New Yorkers put him in high demand. He is suddenly the subject of newspaper and magazine articles, all touting his expertise. However, it isn’t long before some of his clients, suspicious of their run of bad luck, begin to question William’s advice.

What happens next is a dizzying ride as William tries to outrun his lies, but not before tragedy strikes.

Although exacting revenge through feng shui seems a little indirect and implausible, Ong weaves a thrilling story of a confidence man and shows how easily we want to believe in a quick fix to change our lives.

MacArthur Foundation “genius” award-winning playwright Han Ong, like the character of William, immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. Ong’s experience as a playwright comes through in the novel as the scenes and dialogue are expertly written, propelling this novel forward with considerable force. This is a funny and brilliant debut from a fresh voice in literature.