Fiction with Complex Characters and Situations

Try these books if you're looking for:

• complex characters and situations
• focus on characters and relationships

The Kitchen God's Wife 
By Amy Tan
F TAN
This novel begins and ends in California, but most of the story is set in mid-twentieth century China. Winnie tells her life story to her grown daughter—a story of a lonely childhood followed by an arranged marriage to a self-centered, second-rate businessman lacking honor and integrity. By her own wits and sense of values, her friendships, and more than a bit of luck, Winnie survives her marriage and Japanese bomb raids to go on to marry an American soldier and immigrate to the United States. This is an inspiring, triumphant story of one woman’s courage. 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake 
By Aimee Bender
F BENDER
This bittersweet, offbeat novel is the story of Rose Edelstein who discovers in her childhood a supernatural ability to taste the emotions of others in their cooking . She grows up regarding food as a curse when it reveals everyone's secret realities. 

Like Water for Chocolate 
By Laura Esquivel
F ESQUIVEL
Tita is the youngest of three daughters and is expected to serve her mother for the rest of her life . Her sister is engaged to Pedro and from the moment Tita & Pedro meet they’re attracted to one another. In order to show her love to Pedro, Tita cooks for him. Eventually, Tita's culinary wizardry unleashes uncontrollable forces, with surprising results. Fanciful, earthy, and sublime, this is a joy to read.