"Riveting... the book rings with distinctive voices, and it's laden with those details that make readers feel thev've gained a toehold on another world." -USA TODAY

"A beautiful book ... What fascinates in The Kitchen God's Wife is not only the insistent storytelling but the details of Chinese life and tradition." -LOS ANGELES TIMES

Winnie and Helen, lifelong friends, have kept each other's secrets for more than fiftv vears. When Helen decides it's time to reveal the truth, Winnie knows that she must first tell her daughter, Pearl, about her past-including something terrible that even Helen does not know. And so begins the story of Winnie's journey-from a small island outside Shanghai in the 1920s, across a ravaged China during World War II,and eventually to the United States. A striking portrait of a courageous woman and a tale that celebrates the bond between mother and daughter, The Kitchen God's Wife is the work of a master storvteller.