The Kitchen God’s Wife

The international bestseller from the much-loved author of ‘The Joy Luck Club’ and ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter’.

Pearl Louie Brandt has a terrible secret that she tries desperately to keep from her mother, Winnie Louie. And Winnie has long kept her own secrets – about her past and the confusing circumstances of Pearl’s birth. Fate intervenes in the form of Helen Kwong, Winnie’s so-called sister-in-law, who believes she is dying and must unburden herself of all falsehoods before she flies off to heaven. But, unfortunately, the truth comes in many guises, depending on who is telling the tale…

Thus begins a story that takes us back to Shanghai in the 1920s, through the Second World War and the harrowing events that led to Winnie’s arrival in America in 1949. The story is one of innocence and its loss, tragedy and survival, and, most of all, the enduring qualities of hope, love and friendship.

Reviews

‘In this remarkable book Tan manages to illuminate the nobility of friendship and the necessity of humour. Give yourself over to the world she creates.’ New York Times

‘Once again this wonderful novel has extended experience. There is something dizzyingly elemental about Tan’s storytelling; it melds the rich simplicities of fairytales with a delicate lyrical style.’ Sunday Times

‘Tan is a prodigal with her talent. She weaves a dazzling web of unfamiliar colours, smells, tastes and landscapes.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Amy Tan writes with passion and humour, making East and West mutually more comprehensible.’ Daily Mail

About the author

Amy Tan is the author of five critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling novels. Her first novel, ‘The Joy Luck Club’, was nominated for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a recipient of the Commonwealth Gold Award. ‘The Joy Luck Club’ was also adapted into a feature film in 1994. Her subsequent novels are ‘The Kitchen God’s Wife’, ‘The Hundred Secret Senses’, and ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter’ and ‘Saving Fish from Drowning’. She lives in San Francisco and New York.