Finished reading THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER by American novelist Amy Tan. Published 16 years ago, the story deals with the relationship between Ruth, a middle-aged Chinese-American woman, and her aging mother fast losing her memory. A relationship that was not always harmonious. Ruth learns through her mother's written account about her family and ancestors in China. The novel gives a realistic perspective of rural life in China up to WW2. And a snapshot of Chinese immigrants' experience in California, as well as their offspring's life.
For generations Ruth's ancestors ran a cottage industry producing ink sticks for the literate Chinese market. Before writing anything, one would grind part of an ink stick into an ink stone and add drops of water to make liquid ink. According to Amy Tan, one's frame of mind determined the final result, i.e. the proper depiction of Chinese language characters on paper. A fascinating process, I think.
THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER is a page turner.