The Bonesetter's Daughter tells the intertwined stories of a mother-daughter pair. Ruth Young, a middle-aged Chinese-American, has trouble relating to her elderly China-born mother, LuLing Young. LuLing is suffering from memory loss: a symptom of dementia, or Alzheimer's, perhaps.
But when LuLing tells Ruth the story of her past, Ruth finds the power to understand and forgive her mother. LuLing recalls her life in the village called Immortal Heart, brought up by her Precious Auntie, more than a nursemaid to her. Precious Auntie, the daughter of a famous bonesetter, found herself plagued by misfortune and ghosts from the past. LuLing fears the effect of such bad luck will filter down through many generations. This was why Ruth's mother burdened her with insecurities and paranoia all through her childhood.
Once again, Amy Tan plumbs her fascination with the supernatural, while capturing the idiosyncratic dynamics within a Chinese family. All the same, Tan affirms the role of the mother in preserving the continuity of tradition. "A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin."
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