Amy Tan

The Opposite of Fate


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      The Opposite of Fate

      Amy Tan

      

       With love to Lou DeMattei, who knows the fiction and nonfiction of my life, as well as all that cannot be put into words.

      Table of Contents

       MY GRANDMOTHER’S CHOICE

       THINLY DISGUISED MEMOIR

       PERSONA ERRATA

       SCENT

       AMERICAN CIRCUMSTANCES AND CHINESE CHARACTER

       FISH CHEEKS

       DANGEROUS ADVICE

       MIDLIFE CONFIDENTIAL

       ARRIVAL BANQUET

       JOY LUCK AND HOLLYWOOD

       STRONG WINDS, STRONG INFLUENCES

       WHAT SHE MEANT

       CONFESSIONS

       PRETTY BEYOND BELIEF

       THE MOST HATEFUL WORDS

       MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH VLADIMIR NABOKOV

       LUCK, CHANCE, AND A CHARMED LIFE

       INFERIOR DECORATING

       ROOM WITH A VIEW, NEW KITCHEN, AND GHOSTS

       RETREAT TO REALITY

       MY HAIR, MY FACE, MY NAILS

       THE GHOSTS OF MY IMAGINATION

       A CHOICE OF WORDS

       WHAT THE LIBRARY MEANS TO ME

       MOTHER TONGUE

       THE LANGUAGE OF DISCRETION

       FIVE WRITING TIPS

       REQUIRED READING AND OTHER DANGEROUS SUBJECTS

       ANGST AND THE SECOND BOOK

       THE BEST STORIES

       HOPE

       WHAT I WOULD REMEMBER

       TO COMPLAIN IS AMERICAN

       THE OPPOSITE OF FATE

       Footnotes

       Gratitude

       Praise for The Opposite of Fate

       About the Author

       By the Same Author

       Copyright

       About the Publisher

       A NOTE TO THE READER

      These are musings on my life, including the metaphors I used as an eight-year-old child, sensing books as windows opening and illuminating my room, and the thoughts I had as I wrote my mother’s obituary, trying to sum up who she was and what legacy she had bequeathed to me.

      I call this a book of musings because the writings are mostly casual pieces rather than formal essays. Some are long, versions of conversational talks I gave at universities. Others are short, particular to the desperate hour in which I wrote them, for example, the eulogy for my editor, the incomparable Faith Sale; or the e-mail sent to friends after an unexpected disaster resulting in my near-demise made the national news. There is also a love