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 Club into such a success. Not quite a blockbuster, but definitely a best seller, The Kitchen God's Wife represents 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 …
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