The Opposite of Fate: a book of musings (2003)

An interesting memoir. It is very detached, like reading a collection of short stories rather than the usual memoir. ( )

A truly beautiful book. You could tell from many of Amy Tan's books that she had a turbulent relationship with her mother. These memoirs showed the strong love she had for the strong character who was her mother. I read this book not long after my mother died and was moved and comforted by it. ( )

Reading Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings warms the writer's soul. With the same exquisite writerly voice that characterizes her wonderful novels, Amy speaks to readers who write about the creative process. Her first book of non-fiction, it reveals the power of moral ambiguity in finding a focus for one's life work.

What disturbs you as a writer? What makes you uncomfortable? With what do you struggle with to make meaning of without resolution? This is where the writing begins.

Chance, fate, luck, destiny, accidents, coincidences, serendipity. The answers to the questions of how and why things happen is what the writer seeks in the construction of the story.

Amy Tan's stories of her own life, particularly her mother's influence, enchant.The second chapter, "how we knew" is one of those haunting stories I took as confirmation that I wasn't the only crazy person who had experienced death in the room. This story of an uncanny premonition and the characters' inability to intervene before a tragic end resonates with my own spiritual and emotional experiences associated with death and grief. Signs from the jinns of beyond.

As a writer, Amy Tan shares her gift with other writers. I read The Opposite of Fate for my fiction book club and found I couldn't put it down any easier than her fiction. ( )

Great to hear Amy Tan's own story. I fervently hope that she and others affected by Lyme disease get the right treatment; why does the medical establishment dig its heels in like this and insist it knows best, before it performs a turnaround as slowly as a battleship? A similar thing happened with stomach ulcers (now known to be caused by bacteria), and chronic fatigue syndrome..... It's not very scientific.
I think that regarding one's life as "the opposite of fate" is an excellent approach.

I've almost forgotten how enjoyable it is to read Amy Tan. And I probably identify with her stories because they're filled with Chinese culture. This collection of her very own personal experiences helped me to see the person behind the fiction she has written - reading her life journey gave me a glimpse of her life and how she was shaped to be the person she is today. It made me laugh out loud in a lot of places, but I also identified with her pain and felt much empathy for her upbringing. An enjoyable read.