Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim is one of the best books I have read in a long time. When I first saw it in the clearance aisle for only six dollars, I was intrigued by the action-packed summary. To my surprise, the novel was even more exciting than the blurb advertised. Natalie Tan stops at nothing to achieve her dream of opening a restaurant-- even if her mother estranges her for going to culinary school. She travels the world, gathering experience. Seven years of silence pass between them before her mother dies. Natalie returns to her childhood home, only to find out that Chinatown is rapidly being overtaken by gentrification. This book is filled with amazing world-building and magical storytelling. “I know Laolao was successful, but will I be? I don't want to fail the memory of my grandmother. Yes, I can cook, but I'm not professional; I flunked out of culinary school. Can I make the restaurant a success?" (Lim 48). Natalie Tan’s Book Of Luck and fortune is about persevering and chasing goals, even when they feel impossible.

Natalie grows up in Chinatown, San Francisco with her agoraphobic mother. (Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder where people affected by it are afraid to leave environments where they know they are safe). She grows up surrounded by small businesses and a tightly-knit community, but because of her mother’s agoraphobia, she is ostracized and alone for most of her childhood.

When she returns after her mother’s death, she is forced to reconcile with these neighbours. With the rapid gentrification (according to Merriam-Webster, gentrification is the “process in which a poor area experiences an influx of middle-class or wealthy people who renovate and rebuild homes and businesses and which often results in an increase in property values and the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents”) of Chinatown, her neighbours’ stores are slowly running out of business. If Natalie wants her restaurant to succeed, she must help her neighbours and their businesses, despite her hatred of them. Along the way, she makes friendships and falls in love.

Natalie is a fantastic main character with an imaginative and compelling background story. She is a failed culinary student who travelled the world for seven years and left her fiancé at the altar. The story begins when she must return to the place she has been running from. She is not perfect, with commitment issues and turbulent anger. Especially with her flaws, she is a bright, shining character. One of the best parts of this novel is Natalie’s connections with the people (and cats) around her. This book is largely about community. It would be nothing without its strong lessons about love, friendship and family.

The writing of this book is incredibly poignant. It explores grief and the complicated webs of family, packaged in whimsical storytelling. “Death is not meant to be seen. It’s an immovable force that claims every living thing. Might as well strap yourself to a tree to witness a hurricane” (Lim 7). Roselle Lim’s writing is imaginative and brings this novel from enjoyable to incredible. In addition to this, it is full of recipes inspired by the novel!

Natalie Tan’s Book Of Luck and Fortune is a gem. I wish I could read it for the first time again, but the second-best thing is to encourage others to pick it up. For food-lovers and hopeless romantics alike, this book has something for everyone.