The Joy Luck Club

A yearly re-read of mine, and one of my all-time favourite books is The Joy Luck Club. Although I know most of the stories by heart – the book is comprised of eight short stories linked together and interwoven into a larger overarching story – I read the book time and time again. The feelings invoked by the stories change every single time I read them. New memories are triggered, and new perspectives are gained with each “new” read.

I often get asked why I come back to this specific book, or what about this book makes it so interesting after all these years. For me, it is the relatability of every single character.

I am each character in a sense, as well as I’m not truly just any one of them. The characters are humanly flawed; they are likable and unlikeable, and they are dimensional in every facet of their decisions. Much like humans are in real-life, we can understand their reasoning, and therefore we get to know them with each new dialogue, thought process, or action they perform. Through this understanding, we unconsciously unlock our own memories and emotions. With each new time that we root for a character, or disagree with a character, we are faced with the “why” that comes up for us. We are forced to delve into our own understanding of the story and the feelings that surround it in our own life. 

The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of four women, and their journey from China interwoven with the lessons they hope to bring for their daughters in America.

Beautifully written, the short stories impart the wisdom that is universal in every single parent – the dreams of a better life for their children learned from their mistakes. As a daughter of immigrant parents, I was sheltered from my parents’ pain and struggle. I grew up not truly understanding where I had come from, and usually misinterpreted my parents’ intentions for my future. I am so deeply touched by the stories in this novel because they are words that my parents have never had the want to share with me, so as to protect me from the past.

In America I will have a daughter just like me. But over there nobody will say her worth is measured by the loudness of her husband’s belch. Over there, nobody will look down on her, because I will make her speak only perfect American English. And over there she will always be too full to swallow any sorrow! She will know my meaning, because I will give her this swan – a creature that became more than it was hoped for.

Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club

In reading this novel, I can see my parents, and all parents through another lens – the lens of a human, who didn’t necessarily know exactly what they were doing when they started a family, or a new life in Canada. We have the misguided perception that our parents are to be idealized, or that they are somehow superhuman. The humanization and relatability of every single person is so deeply woven into the theme of this novel, which is an integral part of why it was such a huge success. I feel that I am reading my life and the life of my parents, and of all parents. I know that I am reading the life of daughters, mothers and friends. I feel that by inviting in my emotions, and experiences, the story belongs to me. 

Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones. You must peel off your skin, and that of you mother, and her mother. Until there is nothing. No scar, no skin, no flesh.

An Mei, The Joy Luck Club

What captivates me about a story is that sense of belonging; you want to feel that connection. You want to read a story that isn’t necessarily yours, but to have that ability to make it true to you.

These are the stories that drive meaning. These are the stories that last because they get to be continually recreated by you, time and time again.