The Natural Laws of Good Luck: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage by Ellen Graf

Description

Ellen Graf is a writer and sculptor. A Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation Grant winner, she holds an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. Ellen was lonely and having no luck with personal ads when her Chinese girlfriend suggested that she meet Zhong-Hua, her brother in northern China. Ellen soon finds herself going to Beijing to meet him, and although they speak only a few words of each others language, they decide to get married. Ellen and Zhong-Hua settle at Ellens farmhouse in upstate New York where they face a host of challenges, including the language barrier, financial problems, and profound cultural differences. When Ellen tries to teach Zhong-Hua to drive, explaining to him the concept of right-of-way and the meaning of a red light, he cheerfully replies, I dont think so, and develops his own free-form, heart-stopping style of driving. A character worthy of first-rate fiction, Zhong-Hua rarely fails to surprise and entertain us, whether by his driving style, his culinary tastes (Ellen must learn to appreciate rock fungus, among other unusual delicacies), and his creative low-budget home maintenance solutions (who knew that concrete had so many uses?). But Zhong-Hua is also a man with a complicated and painful past, which includes time spent in forced labor during Maos cultural revolution. Hes a survivor who has emerged from his struggles with remarkable optimism. Whenever things appear hopeless, his refrain to Ellen is, Just try, maybe work. Somehow, it usually does. At its heart, The Natural Laws of Good Luck is a story of acceptance and of love beyond words. It is also a tale of finding renewal at midlife by taking a brave leap into the unknown.