Still in the tradition of matrilineal literature, Amy Tan's second novel,
The Kitchen God's Wife(1991), relinquishes the multiple micronarrative approach that helped make
The Joy Luck Clubinto such a success. Not quite a blockbuster, but definitely a best seller,
The Kitchen God's Wiferepresents just one mother-daughter relationship between Winnie Louie and Pearl Louie Brandt. Narrowing the focus even more (at Daisy Tan's request), the Chinese mother dominates the novel with a lengthy monologue about her Chinese past. The remaining chapters, of which there are only three, are left to the American-born daughter, who is preoccupied with the present and family events/duties. Pearl does not discuss her childhood in any great detail, let alone devote a whole chapter to it à la
The Joy Luck3409 words
Citation: Adams, Bella. "The Kitchen God's Wife". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 November 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=440, accessed 04 December 2024.]
