The Bone Setter's Daughter by Amy Tan

Ruth, an American born Chinese, fears that she is losing her mother, LuLing, to dementia. Ever since she was young, Ruth's mother seemed to believe that she had the ability to communicate with the spirit world and with Precious Auntie's spirit.

LuLing was raised by a nursemaid, Precious Auntie, who was mute and burnt. LuLing's mother did not show much love towards her and seemed to prefer her younger sister Goa Ling. Precious Auntie, however, was devoted to caring for LuLing.

LuLing later learns, after Precious Auntie's death, that she is actually Precious Auntie's daughter and that the woman who she thought was her mother all along was actually her father's sister.

Luling is sent away to a Christian orphanage after Precious Auntie's death and later becomes a teacher. She and her sister, Goa Ling, later immigrate to the US and marry brothers.

This story is about Ruth's learning of her mother's past and gaining an understanding into her mother's behaviour.