Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim

Natalie refers to her tears as “teardrop crystals.” The second time this is mentioned, she physically scoops them up and puts them in a bowl. Armed with her grandmother’s recipe book, Natalie gets to working reacquainting herself with the people of Chinatown, their needs, and what she can do to help the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.Īt first, the magical realism is incredibly subtle, so much so that I didn’t even know it was happening until an opening scenario repeated itself. Miss Tai tells Natalie that if she uses her cooking to help three of Chinatown’s residents, the cafe will prosper. Miss Tai also has an “other shop,” as she calls it, that does divinations. They feel she abandoned her mother and they don’t trust her motivations for reopening her grandmother’s famous cafe.ĭoubting herself, Natalie turns to one of Chinatown’s inhabitants, Miss Tai, who runs a lucrative tea shop. The community is close knit and are hesitant about Natalie’s return. In it, she gives her blessing for Natalie to reopen her grandmother’s restaurant. Upon arriving in Chinatown to address her late mother’s affairs, she finds a letter from her mom. Unable to return home a failure, especially after her mother had expressed vocal doubts, Natalie spends her life traveling the world, taking up odd jobs, and working in kitchens. Natalie thought she could make it on her own while attending culinary school, but wound up failing out of her program. After her grandmother’s death, Natalie’s mom let the business close down and that grief kept her from supporting Natalie’s dream. Natalie’s dream has always been to become a chef her grandmother ran a very successful restaurant in Chinatown. Natalie Tan returns to her childhood home in San Diego’s Chinatown following the death of her agoraphobic mother. While the writing is evocative and every foodie’s dream, the weak romantic subplot, haphazard emotional resolution, and frequent repetition of phrases diminished a majority of the shine of the atmosphere and writing.

It also has pages upon pages of yummy food descriptions. Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune is what I’d describe as women’s fiction with magical realism. Archetype: Chef/Foodie/Bartender, Diverse Protagonists

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim