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A review by thebakersbooks
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim
4.0
3.5/5 stars — offbeat and cathartic, full of sensory prose and bittersweet moments
Natalie Tan returns to her childhood home in San Francisco upon hearing news of her estranged mother's death. There, she begins sorting through the remnants of her mother's life—along with her own bitterness toward her family, their neighbors, and herself. Natalie has always wanted to follow in her grandmother's footsteps by becoming a chef, so when she recovers her grandmother's book of much-loved recipes, she sets about reopening the restaurant her grandmother built and her mother refused to inherit.
The main twist to the premise is an element of magical realism I wasn't anticipating based on any of the synopses I'd read, but the slight touch of magic was a pleasant surprise. Natalie learns that she can bring vitality back to her Chinatown neighborhood by cooking three of her grandmother's recipes for neighbors in need of help. In doing so, she's forced to confront her own fears and motives for reopening the restaurant. Not until she seeks to selflessly help her friends regardless of the potential cost to herself will the recipes do their job.
Several recipes are included in the book, which I loved since the gorgeous descriptions of food and cooking made me want to try my hand at what Natalie was preparing. The lush prose was one of the novel's strengths; the cooking scenes (as well as many others) engage all the senses. No sooner was I drawn in by the writing style than the drama factor knocked me flat. The sheer emotional weight behind the story was another unexpected aspect for me. Natalie brings a lot of hurt to the table and spends the whole book working through it, which is painful at times. However, the eventual emotional payoff is wonderfully crafted!
In short, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune wasn't quite what I expected, but it was resonant and beautiful, definitely worth my time. I'd recommend it to fans of magical realism and lyrical prose—think of Anna-Marie McLemore's novels, but with the groundwork in urban fantasy rather than fairy tales.
content warnings: death of a parent, mention of agoraphobia and depression
Natalie Tan returns to her childhood home in San Francisco upon hearing news of her estranged mother's death. There, she begins sorting through the remnants of her mother's life—along with her own bitterness toward her family, their neighbors, and herself. Natalie has always wanted to follow in her grandmother's footsteps by becoming a chef, so when she recovers her grandmother's book of much-loved recipes, she sets about reopening the restaurant her grandmother built and her mother refused to inherit.
The main twist to the premise is an element of magical realism I wasn't anticipating based on any of the synopses I'd read, but the slight touch of magic was a pleasant surprise. Natalie learns that she can bring vitality back to her Chinatown neighborhood by cooking three of her grandmother's recipes for neighbors in need of help. In doing so, she's forced to confront her own fears and motives for reopening the restaurant. Not until she seeks to selflessly help her friends regardless of the potential cost to herself will the recipes do their job.
Several recipes are included in the book, which I loved since the gorgeous descriptions of food and cooking made me want to try my hand at what Natalie was preparing. The lush prose was one of the novel's strengths; the cooking scenes (as well as many others) engage all the senses. No sooner was I drawn in by the writing style than the drama factor knocked me flat. The sheer emotional weight behind the story was another unexpected aspect for me. Natalie brings a lot of hurt to the table and spends the whole book working through it, which is painful at times. However, the eventual emotional payoff is wonderfully crafted!
In short, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune wasn't quite what I expected, but it was resonant and beautiful, definitely worth my time. I'd recommend it to fans of magical realism and lyrical prose—think of Anna-Marie McLemore's novels, but with the groundwork in urban fantasy rather than fairy tales.
content warnings: death of a parent, mention of agoraphobia and depression