Olivia Yee hates her older sister Kwan, who arrives from China and turns her five year old world upside down with her ghostly stories of strange - ancestors. Or does she? Amy Tan is fascinated by borders - the border between love and exasperation, the border between Chinese and American culture - and she writes with wit and insight from both sides of the divide, bringing the chattering Kwan to life with bold, brash strokes and bringing her to an America she observes with devastating lucidity: "America doesn't have as much freedom as you think... I think some rules are good, though ... You can't smoke except in jail. You can't throw an orange peel on the road. You can't let your baby poop on the sidewalk. But some rules are ridiculous.
You can't talk in a movie theater. You can't eat too many fatty foods The story, which effects the reconciliation of Olivia and her ex husband Simon during a visit to China and bestows a baby on them, in spite of Simon's alleged sterility - is frankly unbelievable, but Kwan is a delight.
