The Bonesetter's Daughter Book Review
Major Spoilers are included in this book review. Please read with caution.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter—written by Amy Tan and published in 2001—was the latest book selection for my Writers’ Group. For those who don’t know, I lead a small Writers’ Group and during our virtual meetings during this Coronavirus Pandemic, we decided to redesign the group as part-Book Club in order to keep up with our reading through accountability and book reports. Or in my case, book reviews. This novel was our latest choice, and one I read in roughly twenty-four hours from start to finish—early morning to late night with breaks—on May 16, 2020.
The story is centered around Ruth Young, a Chinese-American ghost writer working in San Francisco, and her mother LuLing, who was losing her memories to dementia. Part One centered around Ruth and her life in the third-person POV, Part Two centered around LuLing and her past—written and translated—in the first-person POV, and Part Three returned back to Ruth Young, who needed to process what she learned about her mother—and the mysterious Precious Auntie—in Part Two.
Amy Tan’s ability to write multiple POVs that naturally transition from flashback to present day was masterful. Ruth Young as a kid, teenager, and adult were distinct scenes that made sense in the context of the narrative as the flashback scenes were triggered by Ruth reminiscing about her past.
Mother-daughter relationship was the focal point of this novel and something Amy Tan had done in her previous work—based on what I heard at least. Honestly, this is my first time reading her work, and I will definitely be coming back for emotional seconds. Anyway, the cultural barrier between the protagonists was portrayed accurately and unapologetically in this novel that overlapped really well with LuLing and Precious Auntie’s mysterious connection to each other during the events of Part Two.
Onto negatives. I was surprised The Bonesetter’s Daughter focused more on Ruth and Art—her love interest—and their romance more than Ruth’s relationship with her two stepdaughters. Going with the theme on mother-daughter relationships being presented in the novel, I thought some character development would occur regarding Ruth’s motherhood for children she didn’t give birth to, and it would’ve tied closer to the whole “you don’t need to share blood to be family” message that was somewhat conveyed through LuLing, GaoLing, and Precious Auntie’s relationships with each other. But alas, Amy Tan decided not to explore Ruth’s bond with her stepdaughters. Not a total loss.
This novel was really hard to put down regardless. Not only for the incredible writing of course, but also for the emotional impact it was having on me. The Bonesetter’s Daughter had provoked relatable feelings I’ve been having about my grandmother—my A Ma. For context, my A Ma had passed away recently back in January 2020, and reading this novel during the whole day had given me a fresh perspective on her, my family’s spiritual connection to her recent passing, and my other grandmother—my Po Po. LuLing’s character and personality reminded me a lot of my Po Po. In the end, I learned a lot from the spiritual grandmother-granddaughter bond that transcended life and death.
Overall, The Bonesetter’s Daughter is a powerful tale on secrets, love, culture, and the importance of family stories for future generations. I had a fun day—from beginning to end—with this novel while reminding myself on the importance of my family and our history’s significance. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel. Maybe I’ll revisit the idea to write a novel on my family’s cultural history like my cousin kept suggesting to me last year.