ARC provided by the publisher for review
I loved the first half of NATALIE TAN’s BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE by Roselle Lim. Natalie’s been traveling the world and comes back to San Francisco after the death of her mother. The neighborhood she once knew as thriving and vibrant is a shadow of its former self. As Natalie attempts to reconnect, she discovers her grandmother’s cookbook and feels compelled to re-open her restaurant in an effort to rejuvenate not just the neighborhood, but the neighbors themselves.
Lim perfectly captures the connection between food and love in Asian cultures, and the complicated relationships we sometimes have with familial expectations. Even the recipes have that familiar thing where there are no amounts and mostly directions.
As Natalie’s efforts start to look like they’re paying off, I was crying happy tears. The writing is evocative, the magical realism elements are sparing but delicious.
But when the going gets tough, Natalie’s first instinct is to run, and maybe that explains why after things go from bad to worse, the story goes into overdrive. It was a race to check the boxes on plot resolution. What started as a lovely, well-paced meal with friends was suddenly rushed. I went from savoring the story to feeling like the plot was designed to shove us out the door so the restaurant could turn over the table. (Game of Thrones, anyone?!)
To be honest, I feel guilty that NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE wasn’t a slam dunk for me. That’s one of the complicated things about OwnVoicesReviews…you want to be a champion, a supporter, an advocate, but I’m still gonna call it like I see it.
There’s a lot to like in NATALIE TAN and I’ll definitely be back when Lim’s next book hits shelves.
Get NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon
