The Kitchen God's Wife

The Kitchen God's Wife Summary | Chapter 1 Summary

The story opens with Pearl introducing her extended family: her mother, Winnie, her Auntie Helen (first married to her mother's brother, Kun, now to Uncle Henry Kwong) and their children: Mary, Frank and Roger, whom they call Bao-Bao, which means precious baby. He is 31 and getting married for the third time. Winnie has phoned Pearl with an invitation to his engagement party. Pearl does not want to go and tries to make excuses, but resigns herself out of a sense of duty.

Days later, Winnie calls Pearl to say Grand Auntie Du has died at 97, and her funeral will be the same weekend as the engagement party. Although Auntie Du is Helen's blood relative, Pearl thinks it is a bit strange that Winnie has always been her primary caretaker. She attributes it to the close relationship between Winnie and Helen, who went into business together 25 years ago - Ding Ho Flower Shop in Chinatown - when Helen was fired from her job and Pearl's father, Jimmy Louie, died.

Pearl's husband Phil can always be counted on to argue about doing things with the family out of a sense of obligation. It has been a source of contention in their marriage. He is also worried about the stress of an entire weekend with relatives on Pearl, who has multiple sclerosis. He accuses her of being fearful and guilty. She says he is selfish. She also believes, because he is not Chinese, that he cannot possibly understand the countless ways in which her behavior is dictated by her culture and how hard she tries to change. They have two daughters, Tessa, 8, and Cleo, 3.

Phil makes one last attempt to alleviate some of the stress by booking them into a hotel, but Winnie protests, so they settle in with her. Phil takes the girls to the zoo while Pearl goes to the flower shop to help her mother with funeral preparations. Her mother has not asked directly, but hinted that Pearl should be there. Pearl is stopped by Mr. Hong, owner of a store known as "the shop of the gods" for the statues of Chinese deities sold there. Mr. Hong gives Pearl a package for her mother. When Pearl enters the flower shop, she hears her mother arguing in Chinese with someone on the phone. Pearl is amazed to learn she is protesting a $3 shipping charge, but then wonders why it surprises her. She looks around the shop and notes that not a dime has been invested in its renovation or maintenance. As they turn their attention to the floral arrangements, however, Pearl admires her mother's handiwork. The funeral wreaths are lush and full.

Winnie opens the package from Mr. Hong. It contains "spirit money," one hundred million dollars in play money that the Chinese believe the dead can use to bribe their way into heaven. When Pearl looks on in amusement, Winnie tells Pearl she does not do it out of belief, but out of respect.

At the engagement dinner, Pearl's least favorite cousin, Mary, greets them along with her husband Doug and children, Jennifer and Michael. Mary found out about Pearl's illness when she overheard her husband and a doctor friend discussing the diagnosis. She has confronted Pearl about her illness and continues to bring it up in ways that irritate her. Mary also told her mother, Auntie Helen, which means her secret is not safe. Pearl is trying to balance the damage done with the history of their friendship. Mary and Doug introduced Pearl and Phil, who were matron of honor and best man at their wedding.

Pearl has been in remission for some time, but is reminded of her illness every time she sees or hears from her mother. She does not want to tell her because her mother is sure to carry on about how she might have prevented this catastrophe by applying the appropriate Chinese mumbo jumbo. Pearl has seen Winnie do this following the death of her husband from stomach cancer when Pearl was fourteen. She berated herself for not recognizing The Nine Bad Fates: if eight bad things happen, the ninth will be fatal. Winnie believes that had she been more vigilant, she could have saved her husband from that ninth bad fate.

Steeped in Chinese superstition, Winnie believes that every event is significant and that nothing is an accident. After Pearl had a miscarriage, Winnie cited any number of causes: coffee, jogging, not eating enough. The next time Pearl got pregnant, she delayed telling her mother until the danger of a second miscarriage had passed. Unfortunately, Helen later let Winnie know that she had been told of the pregnancy much sooner.

The engagement dinner is as bad as Pearl imagined it would be. Winnie and Helen get on each other's nerves. Phil tries to make polite conversation. Pearl pretends they are still friends with Mary and Doug and thinks about how distant she and her mother have become.

Just when she thinks it cannot get any worse, Pearl is pulled aside by Auntie Helen who says she has a brain tumor and is dying. She fears that she will not be able to fly to heaven weighted down with a secret such as Pearl's illness, so Pearl must tell her mother or she will. Pearl reluctantly agrees to tell her.

At Winnie's that night, Pearl cannot do it. Her mother fusses over Phil and Pearl as if they are children, asking if they are warm enough, if they brushed their teeth. Pearl rejects her mother's ministrations, but then feels sad as her mother shuffles away.