Published Date: November 2024
Pages: 336
Summary
The Teller of Small Fortunes is a delightful escape with heart warming characters. Tao, the wandering fortune teller, is on a journey of solitude with her mule. Travelling from town to town she never settles and never befriends, until one day she meets two men – Silt and Mash – on a search for Mash’s missing 4 year old daughter.
My thoughts
The story unfolds slowly -think Legends & Lattes- and there is very little world building. The core of this book are not the places but the relationships between the characters and their development through the story. The book explores themes of loss, grief, loneliness yet friendship and hope. There is a heavy emphasis on home, whether it’s running from home, or not having a home, it made me quite reflective on what I consider home. It’s not just the place but the people I am surrounded by.
“Everyone deserves a home, Tao thought, patting Laohu’s whiskery grey nose. And what was a home but somewhere you wouldn’t have to feel quite so alone?”
My biggest issue with this book is that, magic aside, there needs to be a sense of realism. Characters need to behave in a way that is believable in the circumstances, and that’s where this book misses the mark for me. This book revolves around the journey of find a missing child yet Mash, as a father, continuously sacrifices potential leads in favour of helping this stranger he’s only known for a couple weeks.
Its not believable. Your daughter is missing, you’ve been on a 6 month hunt and still no closer to knowing what happened, where she is, is she even alive.. she’s 4 and alone!! The longer the search the more desperate a father would get, there’s no way he’s stopping his journey and going in different directions, its not believable.
Outside of this I did enjoy the characters, I liked watching them grow and seeing these friendships form. I really liked the premise and listening to the fortunes as Tao travels through the towns. Its slow, its relaxing and it addresses some pretty big, important themes. I just don’t feel that it was executed well, especially with Mash’ character but I’m glad I picked it up!
“There’s no such thing as greater good—there’s just good, and the more of it we can do, the better.”
Would I recommend?
If you like cosy fantasy where you can journey with characters and watch the relationships form then I would recommend. However if you’re looking for a fantasy that dives into world building and is plot driven, then I would suggest you pass on this one.