Ruth's mother LuLing is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. When LuLing is soon to be send to a elderly home, Ruth decides to clean up her mother's house. She finds to packets of papers, written in Chinese calligraphy. LuLing has titled them; Things I Know Are True and Things I Must Not Forget. Ruth starts reading them, and she is taken back to the China where LuLing was born in 1916, and she learns more about her mother's birth and family history.LuLing was raised by a nursemaid called Precious Auntie, the daughter of a famous bonesetter. Once beautiful, Precious Auntie's face was burned in a suicide attempt, her mouth sealed with scar tissue. When LuLing eventually learns the secrets of Precious Auntie's tragic life, she is engulfed by shame and guilt. These emotions are echoed by Ruth when she reads her own mother's revelations, and she finally understands why LuLing thought herself cursed.
Ruth is a real San Francisco career woman, she is a ghost writer for self-help books. She lives with her husband Art and two teenage daughters.Ruth's inability to talk is subtly echoed in the story of her mother LuLing's early life in China, which forms the long middle section of the novel. You really have to take your time with this rich detailed novel by Amy Tan, I think this counts for all of her books. It is a great read if you like Chinese-American themed books, or Chinese history in particular, and it is now one of my favourite books by Amy Tan.
