![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The difficult, complex relationships and years of frustrations and repressed desires are the core of this book, and what makes it shine. All the characters had their own struggles, none of them in black-and-white personalities and stories. I decided to listen to the audiobook narrated by Nancy Wu instead of reading the physical book, and I think it works very well that way! It was a surprise to lots of us, including me, when Number One Chinese Restaurant made it to the longlist of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, especially with such a low rating in Goodreads. They were all friends, if one defined friendship as the natural occurrence between people who, after colliding for decades, have finally eroded enough to fit together. With all of the underlying drama waiting to boil, no one notices when Pat and Annie get themselves into trouble. Nan has worked there for decades together with Ah-Jack and yearns to be with him. His older brother Johnny worked so hard for so many years on the restaurant that he became distant from his own daughter. Jimmy, the manager, has big dreams for a restaurant of his own. Number One Chinese Restaurant is the story of the decades-long loyalties and tensions in the restaurant from the Hans, inherited from father to son, a place where once politicians went to, actors, even presidents – but somehow has not met real prestige yet. ![]()
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