Where the Past Begins: Memory and Imagination

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, a profound and intimate exploration of the creative process and the intersections of memory and fiction.

In Where the Past Begins, Amy Tan reveals the personal truths and inspirations that underpin her extraordinary body of work. Delving into the vivid recollections of a traumatic childhood, confessions of self-doubt within her private journals, and poignant correspondence with her mother, she examines the events that made her career as a writer both unlikely and inevitable.

Through spontaneous storytelling, Tan demonstrates how a fictional state of mind can unleash long-forgotten memories, forming the emotional nucleus of her novels. The memoir uncovers shocking family truths hidden within memorabilia—from the reality behind a childhood I.Q. test to the mysteries surrounding her maternal grandmother. For the first time, she also writes publicly about her complex relationship with her father, who passed away when she was fifteen.

Written with candour and characteristic humour, Where the Past Begins offers a rare window into the idiosyncratic workings of a writer's mind, embarking on a journey through memory, imagination, and the search for truth.