Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune

by Roselle Lim

[empressbrooke]

I didn't expect it from the synopsis, but this book is really, really simple. Everything from the writing style to the characters to the plot lacks depth. The sentence structure is uniformly very simple and the main character relates actions and feelings in very perfunctory statements. The plot sounds like it could be very interesting - it promises heavy topics like family estrangements and mental illness and gentrification - but every conflict is resolved smoothly and quickly. I suppose that this would work well for someone who wants something very light and easy to read, but I wanted much more to sink my teeth into. It wasn't for me but it could be for someone else.