By Amy Tan
I used to be really into Amy Tan books. The summer before my senior year of college, I think I read all of the ones in my local library but alas since then, the only one I have read was Saving Fish from Drowning on my honeymoon almost four years ago. Yikes! Time flies! However, I came across The Hundred Secret Senses and it seemed interesting so I bought it.
Kwan and Olivia, the two main characters, are half sisters who share the same Chinese father. Olivia was born and raised in America but Kwan immigrated in her early teen years. Kwan has “yin eyes” which means she can see dead people, just like in The Sixth Sense. In most of Amy Tan’s books, it is the Chinese mother driving the American daughter crazy with her old world ways but in this one, the older sister is driving the younger sister crazy. Olivia doesn’t care for Kwan’s ghost stories and other idiosyncrasies. But, Kwan is pushy and usually gets her way.
Within this story is another story about Kwan and Olivia in a past life in China. (I have to confess when the stories switched I was lost for a second and was like huh? But, then I got it. I do have some brains after all.) Kwan narrates the past life story to Olivia over the years as the ghosts tell her. But, if some of these ghosts are Olivia and Kwan in a past life, how can they talk to them now? Aren’t they the same person? A point to think about I guess.
Anyways, I am not sure my description does the book justice but I was trying not to reveal too much. Long story short, I liked this book much better than the last one I read by Amy Tan and think it is worth reading. As I have mentioned before, one of my favorite genres is books set in China, I am not sure why, maybe I was Chinese in a past life, so I am probably biased.
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