ican life and the denial of love from her mother. Similarly, her distrust of her husband is in part rooted in her distrust of her mother's wavering love.
Therefore, the dualities abound in Olivia's life and in her character. She lives between many sets of dual worlds--the Chinese and the American, the internal and the external, the surface and the mysterious. It will take the trip to China, to her roots, to resolve these contradictions.
The book says that cultural models are overwhelmingly powerful in shaping how one understands what is real, true and obvious. To Kwan, raised in China under the influence of traditional models, the special realm of ghosts and intuition is commonplace. To Olivia, raised in modern America with its emphasis on surface appearances and the material world, what is real is what is seen, what is sold and bought. Yes, Olivia is susceptible to Kwan's ghost stories and sees ghosts herself, she is su
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