5 Out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯✯
Number One Chinese Restaurant is a book I came across while browsing the shelves of my local library. The cover is unspectacular, but enough to catch the eye’s attention – subtle but appealing.
Number One Chinese Restaurant was longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction (not bad for Lillian Li’s first novel!). Despite this, it is not a book which I had previously come across – and does not seem to have received much publicity.
About the Book
The story starts from the perspective of Jimmy, the ‘little boss’ of the Duck House restaurant. Jimmy is discussing business with Uncle Pang. During this chapter, we start to get a sense of Jimmy’s ambition, desire, and his anger, as he shouts at employees when things go wrong and even dismisses an employee on the spot. This does not, however, prevent his fear of Uncle Pang – about whom his father (the original owner of the Duck House) had warned him about.
Uncle Pang is portrayed as a powerful and sinister character – if crossed, he will not take it lightly. And it is easy for Uncle Pang to get revenge when he knows all the people in the right place, allowing him to bend the rules. And in this first scene, Uncle Pang is crossed – by Jimmy.
Next, we are given the perspective of Nan (and through the story we also get the perspective of Ah-Jack). Nan and Ah-Jack have been close friends and colleagues for many years and, through the story, we see their friendship develop. Nan’s role often involves looking after Ah-Jack who is unable to do very much as his body has gradually grown weaker. Ah-Jack’s role is to keep Nan happy with his playful personality.
Throughout the story, we also get the perspectives of Pat (Nan’s Son) who has become troublesome and rebellious, and Johnny, the ‘big boss’ of the Duck House Restaurant and Jimmy’s older brother – he is also the calmer and more calculated brother, and if there is a problem, he knows what to do. We also, very briefly, get the perspective of Feng Fei, Jimmy and Johnny’s mother.
Despite being family, Jimmy, Johnny, and Feng Fei do not get on – and often seem to be plotting against each other in some way. Jimmy dislikes Johnny for always inserting himself into every situation, while Johnny dislikes Jimmy for his carelessness and feels that he is required to step in to stop things going wrong. They both, however, have a mutual dislike of their mother who is constantly criticising them, while their mother is disappointed by how her two sons have turned out and often asks what she has done to deserve them.
Each chapter flicks between each person’s perspective, as we see how their relationships develop through the problems which arise.
My thoughts on the book – 5 out of 5 stars ✯✯✯✯✯
Firstly, the characters feel very authentic in their personalities, the things they do, and the way they react to certain situations. So much so that they seem like real people, which makes it easy to bring the characters to life in your mind while reading the book. There is also a great mix of characters, from the impulsive Jimmy, to the calculated Johnny, to the playful Ah-Jack and the loyal Nan.
Secondly, the way the story is written – switching from a different character’s perspective each chapter – is brilliant. As a result, the story does not spend too long on one moment at a time and remains engaging throughout. In fact, I felt engaged and interested throughout the whole book. To keep a book entertaining throughout is very difficult, and yet this has been achieved brilliantly by Lillian Li.
This also allows you to see different sides to each character, without actually changing how the characters act. For example, from Jimmy’s perspective, Jimmy is driven and unstoppable – nothing will get in his way. From Johnny’s perspective, however, Jimmy is reactionary and careless, causing problems which he then has to deal with. Throughout both viewpoints, however, Jimmy is still acting in exactly the same way, and nothing has actually changed about him. This, for me, shows Lillian Li’s wonderful writing ability.
Finally, the story itself is thrilling and you never know what is going to happen next. Due to the changing perspective, you are sometimes kept waiting for an answer, which makes you want to read on and find out what will happen. And when you get there, it is always worth it.
This book was really wonderful to read, and I had nothing I would change about the book, making it one of the favourite books I have read so far. This is why I have given this book the top rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
Conclusion
As you can tell, I loved this book – its characters, the story, and the writing which all came together so brilliantly. I do not think the book has received the publicity it deserves, but I feel lucky to have found it in my local library (you never know what you might find in a library!).
I hope you enjoyed my review of Number One Chinese Restaurant – if you have read it and would like to share your thoughts, or would like to suggest my next read, then feel free comment down below. If you wish to see more of my reviews in future, please do follow/like/other – my social media pages are available on the ‘Contact & Social Media’ tab at the top of the page.
Thank you very much for joining my for my review – and I hope to have another book review up shortly!
TBT
Theodore's Bookish Thoughts (TBT) 