The Bonesetter's Daughter
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| Author | Amy Tan |
|---|---|
| Publisher | |
| Released | |
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| ISBN | ISBN |
The Bonesetter's Daughter, published in 2001, is Amy Tan's fourth novel. Like much of her work, this novel deals with the relationship between an American-born Chinese woman and her immigrant mother.
The Bonesetter's Daughter is divided into two major stories. The first is about Ruth, a Chinese-American woman living in San Francisco. She worries that her elderly mother, LuLing, is gradully becoming more and more demented. LuLing seems increasingly forgetful, and makes bizarre comments about her family and her own past.
The second major story is that of LuLing herself, as written for Ruth. Several years earlier, LuLing had written out her life story in Chinese. Ruth arranges to have the document translated, and learns the truth about her mother's life in China.
[edit] Plot summary
Ruth is a self-sufficient woman that makes her living as a ghostwriter for self-help books. She lives with her long-term boyfriend, Art, and acts as a step-mother to Art's two teenage daughters from a previous marriage.
As an adult, Ruth struggles to understand her mother and her strange behavior during Ruth's childhood. Although she loves her mother, she also resents her for criticizing her harshly when she was young and forcing her to obey strict rules. LuLing also believed that young Ruth had the ability to communicate with the spirit world, and often expected her to produce messages from the ghost of LuLing's long dead nursemaid, Precious Auntie.
LuLing's autobiography makes up the middle section of the book. This story within a story describes LuLing's early life in a small Chinese village called Immortal Heart. LuLing was raised by her mute, disfigured nursemaid Precious Auntie. Although the oldest daughter in her family, LuLing was neglected by her mother in favor of her younger sister GaoLing. However, Precious Auntie was entirely devoted to caring for LuLing.
Precious Auntie, the daughter of a local bonesetter, was the only person who knew the location of a hidden cave where many ancient "dragon bones" could be found. After the discovery of the Peking Man, fossilized bones and information about where they might be found becomes extremely valuable. A local family, the Changs, wish to arrange a marriage between LuLing and their son Fu Nan because they believe she can lead them to the fossil cave. LuLing's family approves of the marriage, but Precious Auntie violently opposes the match. She commits suicide when LuLing insists that she will marry Fu Nan.
Only after Precious Auntie's death does LuLing learn that her nursemaid was actually her mother. LuLing had grown up believing that her aunt was her mother, and that her cousin GaoLing was her sister. After Precious Auntie's death, GaoLing marries Fu Nan and LuLing is sent away to an orphanage.
Once Ruth learns the details of her mother's past, she gains a new understanding of her mother and her seemingly erratic behavior. Answers to both women's problems unfold as LuLing's story is finally revealed in its entirety.
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