The Bonesetter’s Daughter – Amy Tan

For our book discussion, we had another great conversation, just like we always do.  Our book was The Bonesetter’s Daughter, by Amy Tan.  This is a book that’s woven like a tapestry, each thread laid down in vibrant colors, coming together to tell a story of a mother and a daughter, raised in different countries but with shared histories that are not quite known to each other, particularly from the daughter’s perspective. Through stories, the daughter learns about her mother.

The first part of the book starts with Ruth and her mother LuLing, a mother who’s starting to show signs of dementia.  Ruth is a ghostwriter for other authors, but she realizes the story she doesn’t know is her own mother’s.  Years earlier, LuLing had written down her story and given it to Ruth but it ended up in Ruth’s desk, just waiting to be read.  Ruth gets it translated and she begins to learn who her mother is.

The second part of the book is LuLing’s writings of her life in China.  The story brings out the mysticism and enchantment of Chinese culture. LuLing starts out her life thinking someone else is her mother and the woman she always thought of as Precious Auntie turns out to be her real mother.  We get to learn about Peking Man, oracle or dragon bones, and the Japanese occupation that impacts a girls orphanage.  The story highlights LuLing’s life from when she was a child until she’s a young widow coming to America.  From there, she eventually remarries and has her daughter Ruth.  There’s much more to the story, of course, and it’s rich in details.

The third part of the book focuses back on Ruth and how she comes to understand not only her mother better but herself as well.  It’s powerful and wonderful.

This book is a beautiful story of family and it’s worth the time to read, so if you haven’t, pick it up and get started!!  If you want to read more about Peking Man, check out this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Man.