The Bonesetter's Daughter

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

In her fourth novel author Amy Tam explores the relationship between a first-generation Chinese-American and her ancestors. Ruth Young and her mother, Lu Ling, who's in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, never enjoyed a close relationship. In fact, their bond grew out of anger. Ruth, a ghostwriter of self-help books, sets out to learn more about her mother and her past, as she also questions her career and relationship with her live-in boyfriend. Ruth reads Lu Ling's journal and uncovers a complex past full of heartache, gut-wrenching choices, and perseverance. As in The Joy Luck Club, Tan deftly combines Chinese history and culture with profound human emotion.