The Bonesetter’s Daughter is a historical fiction by American author Amy Tan. Published in 2001 by Random House, Inc., the novel is her fourth novel and contains similar themes as the previous works. Akin to The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife, Tan explores the complex relationship between immigrant mothers and their daughters. A 1905 photo of her grandmother Gu Jingmei acts as the cover image of the first edition of the novel.
It consists of two interconnected stories that delve into the lives of the mother and daughter separately. Ruth is a Chinese-American working as a ghostwriter dealing with her mother’s cognitive decline from dementia. The narrative illustrates the clash between her beliefs and that of her immigrant mother which worsens with the illness. This forces Ruth to have the document that Lu Ling gave her translated to learn more about her life story. Consequently, the narrative becomes a story within a story chronicling Lu Ling’s life growing up in Peking. It charts her difficult childhood and young adulthood before she migrated to the United States.
The novel highlights the significance of passing down the family history as it promotes understanding and strengthens the bond. Los Angeles Times reviewed “The Bonesetter’s Daughter dramatically chronicles the tortured, devoted relationship between Lu Ling Young and her daughter Ruth… A strong novel, filled with idiosyncratic, sympathetic characters, haunting images, historical complexity, significant contemporary themes, and suspenseful mystery.” In 2008 the novel was turned into an opera premiering at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House.
