The Kitchen God's Wife

Amy Tan

Pearl is grown, married, a mother, and successful speech pathologist. Yet she is distant from her native Chinese mother, Winnie Louie. Pearl grew up in the United States, not knowing China. She is keeping a secret from her mother. But her mother is keeping one from her, as well.

Winnie is blackmailed into revealing her past in China to Pearl. She finally opens up and discusses the days of her early marriage and China during World War II. She discusses the tragedies of her childhood, her family, and her husband. She lived through Japanese attacks and escaped to far reaches of China with the Chinese Air Force. Pearl learns what shapes her mother.

Tan once again brings the female Chinese culture to life. Winnie is a strong minded woman, not the obsequious female always walking a few paces behind her husband and meekly accepting his dictates. Yet she is still completely ruled by him; the culture of the country will allow nothing else. This story is straight-forward, in chronological order once Winnie starts telling Pearl her history.

This book is not a quick read, but one that keeps the reader pulled in for the most part. At times I felt the story drug and did not hold my interest. While I was upset, horrified at some of the happenings, I was never quite totally sucked into empathy with Winnie. On one level, I also saw the normal conflicts between American mothers and daughters, no matter what the culture. We women should come to an understanding of our mothers to be better women and mothers to our own daughters.

I cannot say this is an excellent book, but I am glad I read it. If you only have a choice of one Amy Tan novel, I recommend The Joy Luck Club instead.

Notice:Non-graphic violence, Strong sexual content