The Kitchen God's Wife

Author: Amy Tan
Published: 1991 (Putnam)
Category: Literature
Rating: 10/10

I don't read what people call "critically acclaimed" books very often, but after my most recent romance read, I fell into a slump and didn't want anything out of my regular TBR. I read The Joy Luck Club in high school for class and while it was good, I think reading for class tainted my feelings for classic Amy Tan books. However, I figured it was time to get over high school English classes and read something serious (I guess this means I'll get back to Jane Austen soon).

The Kitchen God's Wife is so smart and moving that I don't really feel like I can write about it. I loved reading it and got lost in the words every time I picked it up, despite the near-tragic story it told. Pearl, a Chinese woman who was born in America, is listening to the story of her mother Winnie's life in China. Winnie's childhood wasn't easy, with a mother who ran away, and having to grow up in her cousin's family. Reading about the family dynamics in the traditional Chinese family, despite taking place in China, reminded me of my very old school family (I'm quite the black sheep in my family).

Winnie later marries Wen Fu, who seemed to be a good catch, but he turned out to be a horribly cruel man. He abused her and indirectly caused the deaths of their children, and then later took over Winnie's father's household. After years of trying to be a good wife and respecting family, Winnie escaped to the man she loved, a Chinese-American soldier from California. It turns out that Amy Tan's mother was basis for this: She had married an abusive man in China and wound up leaving him to marry the man who would be Amy's father. The story is amazing and the writing is perfect.

I think I'll put The Hundred Secret Senses into my TBR for the next time I'm feeling the need for a literary novel.