Number One Chinese Restaurant

by Lillian Li

The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland, is not only a beloved go-to setting for hunger pangs and celebrations; it is its own world, inhabited by waiters and kitchen staff who have been fighting, loving, and aging within its walls for decades. When disaster strikes, this working family's controlled chaos is set loose, forcing each character to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay. Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father's homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy's older brother, Johnny, and Johnny's daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father's absence and a teenager's silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their thirty-year friendship into something else, even as Nan's son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. And when Pat and Annie, caught in a mix of youthful lust and boredom, find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children.

• ISBN10: 125014129X
• ISBN13: 9781250141293
• Publish Date: 19 June 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Henry Holt & Company
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Content Warning: Alcoholic and former drug user, drunk driving, harassment against an ex-lover, Bully Boss, Gangster/Godfather type figure, Arson, Fucked up families, Hypercritical Mother, Absentee Father, Cancer, Capitalism, Sibling Rivalry,

I did not like this one. I don't know what to make of the ending, but I'm not a fan for sure. I didn't like the sudden POV switches without the usual notice/formatting.

In the beginning, I wasn't even sure I would finish it. It's not fun or funny. The characters are well done, but not likable for the most part. Every time I was getting bored, something new happened that made me go "Oh fine, I see where it goes" until I got so far to the end there was no point in quitting anymore. So A+ on the pacing at least.

It is great illustrating the restaurant industry and the immigrant experience. That background, that reality for the characters causing these problems and strained relationships was the main reason I kept going, TBH.

I don't think it's as good as Celeste Ng's books. The writing, twists, and themes aren't as flowy and deep. I also couldn't care about these characters like I have Ng's. The ending perplexes me instead of haunting me.

I'm sorry, I know it's bad form doing such a head to head comparison for a review, but I don't know how else to explain my feelings for this book.

Maybe I'm out of practice reading adult books with all these light grey and dark grey characters and murky lines. Maybe I just don't get it. *shrug* Glad I gave it a shot, but I kinda wish I saved time by DNF'ing it, but I'm kinda glad I get to write a full review so....I'm going to call it a wash.