Part 1 of Essay
This book is about two sisters, one named Olivia and the other Kwan. Olivia lived with her family (lived in San Francisco) and never knew about Kwan her half-sister which her father left behind in China (Changmian) until her father died (of kidney failure even thought he had four of them ~ which (I know I shouldn't) find a ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... sister that knew nothing and she hated Kwan for it. However, Kwan didn't mind and still was nice to her sister, she would tell her stories about her past life in China and about her Yin eyes, which give her the ability to see the dead (it also got her committed in a mental institution for shock therapy). Tan makes it credible by the broken English Kwan spoke to her sister (couldn't get even her name right, she calls her Libby-ah), even after 30 years, which is where the rest of the book takes place. By now Olivi ....