Riveting from start to finish, THE GIRLS OF GOOD FORTUNE is a superb piece of historical fiction. Set in 1885 and 1888, it is the story of a time period in Portland, Oregon, that may not be known to many, but Kristina McMorris has thoroughly researched the history of the place and its people, giving readers a version of history that is revelatory and unforgettable. Anti-Chinese sentiment gripped a nation, and two real-life events informed the book’s writing. 

The first, the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885, involved the slaughter of Chinese miners, perpetrated by Caucasian miners who coveted a particular gold mine. One hundred and fifty white people wounded 15 Chinese and killed 28. No one was ever held accountable for the attack and murders. 

The second, the Hells Canyon Massacre of 1887, was another attack on Chinese miners. Seven members of a gang gruesomely murdered more than 30 Chinese people and made off with gold that today would be valued at $2 million.

"McMorris blends exacting research with thrilling fiction, giving us a novel that is deeply authentic, personal and resonant even today."

McMorris, a native Oregonian, weaves these incidents into her compelling story of the anti-Chinese occurrences of the time. Celia Hart, a half-Chinese woman (like McMorris herself), awakens in a cell in the prologue, in the underbelly of Portland’s Chinatown --- the Shanghai Tunnels. A labyrinth of underground tunnels connected town businesses and were used as escape routes during raids. History hints at the tunnels also being used to detain shanghaied victims bound for forced labor. (The term “shanghaied” is said to have originated from this kidnapping trend that resulted in hundreds of Chinese being sent to work camps, ships…or worse.)

Passing as white for most of her life, Celia falls in love with her employer’s son, who is headed off to college but promises to return for her. When her boss, the mayor, learns that she is pregnant with his grandchild, he fires her. She takes on a job as a housekeeper in Madame Marie’s Chinatown brothel in exchange for room and board. Celia also gets embroiled in trying to right what happened to the Chinese miners; her father was a miner killed in the massacre. Naïve but determined, she faces several dire situations, including work on a ship, and narrowly lives to talk about them. Separated from her baby daughter, Celia is fixated on reuniting with her little girl and finding love again.

The two timelines are intertwined throughout most of the book until the story settles into 1888. The systemic racism of the time looms large; it is almost a character unto itself. It is often difficult to read about the atrocities committed against the Chinese in this era, yet it serves to remind us of the chilling inhumanity of that period. McMorris blends exacting research with thrilling fiction, giving us a novel that is deeply authentic, personal and resonant even today.