The Bonesetter’s Daughter
by Amy Tan
★★★☆
Amy
Tan’s specialty is novels that deal with mother/daughter relationships
with a cultural divide thrown in. Her books tend to focus on women born
in America who struggle to relate to their Chinese mothers. The strain
between the family members, exacerbated by being raised in very
different cultures, makes for interesting plots though they can
occasionally feel repetitive.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter is set in San Francisco and
follows Ruth and her boyfriend Art through their relationship with
flashbacks to Ruth’s childhood. Ruth’s relationship with her mother
LuLing is the main focus. LuLing is beginning to show signs of dementia
and as Ruth struggles to come to come to terms with this she begins to
learn more about her mother’s life before America.
Midway through the book we hear Ruth’s mother’s story
in her own voice. It’s a drastic shift in tone, but one that works well.
The reader, as well as Ruth herself, need to understand LuLing’s
background in order to understand why she acts the way she does.
I loved how the book dealt with the balance of regret
and love that exists in most relationships. It explores the way our
scars from childhood shape the people we become. Yet even as we see our
past pain affect our decisions it helps to understand the history of the
people you love. With understanding comes forgiveness, an essential
element in improving any relationship.
BOTTOM LINE: A good story and a great reminder that our
parents were people long before we were around. They made mistakes,
they’ve been hurt and that hurt often has lasting effects that echo
through their relationships with their children.
Pair with a marathon of mother/daughter movies where
the main characters don’t see eye-to-eye. Start with Brave and move on
to Steel Magnolias, then watch Amy Tan’s own Joy Luck Club. Get in a few
laughs with Freaky Friday before watching The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and finishing with Terms of Endearment.
