Anna Engel's Reviews > The Hundred Secret Senses

It's the same basic Amy Tan plot. The details have changed, but the essence of the story is exactly the same as every other Tan book I've read. In this case, though, not only does the narrator have mommy issues, she also has older-sister-from-China issues.

Basically, I got bored. I've read most of Tan's novels and have realized that she has a template. She found a formula that worked in The Joy Luck Club and hasn't really changed it since then.

1. Female main character.
2. She's caught between two worlds (China and America) and two or more generations. As a result, she doesn't communicate well with others. She's aloof, she comes across as cold, and she's constricted by guilt.
3. This inability to communicate affects all of her relationships. Various aspects of her life fall apart around her (e.g., loses her job, gets divorced, becomes alienated from her family).
4. She finds some level of understanding and compassion.
5. Hug. We're done.

This method of novel-writing is lazy and unfulfilling. Tan found what worked for her readers and hasn't grown as a writer or storyteller.