Wayne Ng delivers big time, in this entertaining, sometimes gritty but always brilliant story set in Toronto’s Chinatown of the 70’s era. What a ride!
Johnny is an eighteen-year-old student trying to navigate the challenges of the racism at his rough tech high school while helping his family with their restaurant and dealing with his annoying, entitled half-sister. When the pressure gets to him, the spirit of deceased superstar idol and mentor Bruce Lee appears to help him make sense of his world. Johnny has always been close to his auntie but he discovers her darker side when she calls in the family debt . With the help of stoner friend, Barry, they concoct a scheme to save the family restaurant and Johnny begins to deliver egg rolls with a side of weed. The scheme is more successful than Johnny anticipated. He is paying off his auntie, he is popular at school, he has the confidence to ask out a beautiful girl and he might even have enough money left over to go to college. But secrets start coming out of nowhere, his parents start asking questions, his auntie starts asking questions and the Chinatown gangs are showing up at his family restaurant. Then Barry disappears and what seemed like a simple solution is suddenly not simple at all. The tension builds as Johnny desperately tries to prevent his world from falling apart and it all comes down to a winner-takes-all mahjong game where the stakes have never been higher.
There is much to love in this fast-paced tale of teen angst and self-discovery, from the 70’s setting, to the insight into the Chinese immigration plight, to the way Bruce Lee walks with Johnny each step of the way. It’s all part of the magic Wayne Ng weaves to create a likeable, relatable hero who just wants to be a “normal” kid in a “normal” family. You feel Johnny’s pain and cheer for his successes and wait.. are you really hoping his illegal deliveries will save him? Johnny is a character you care deeply about and when it comes to fiction, that says it all. Five out of five stars!
Thank you to River Street Writing for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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