Taipei Story
DESCRIPTION
From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasisand Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.
College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.
Then shocking news Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.
Taipei Story What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.
From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasisand Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.
College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.
Then shocking news Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.
Taipei Story What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.
Link to purchase the book
MY THOUGHTS
Lily Chen is one of many Chinese American students who will be studying at a notable university in Taipei. Hoping to reconnect with a part of her heritage that has always felt missing, she spends the summer in an intensive language program, determined to become “more Chinese.” But Lily is not prepared for the language difficulties, culture shock, and friction that arise among some of the students.
The program is incredibly difficult and stressful, and Lily’s living situation only adds to her challenges. She has been assigned a roommate, Ana, and a place to live that can only generously be described as a shoebox. From the beginning, Lily and Ana struggle to get along, and their problems never quite resolve. What Lily envisioned as an exciting summer in Taipei ultimately proves to be far more unsettling than she anticipated.
When Lily receives devastating news of her grandfather’s death, her journey takes a different direction. Acknowledging the missing pieces in her understanding of her culture, she begins searching for answers. Her attempts to find them are often awkward and stumbling, and this is where R. F. Kuang does a wonderful job of weaving humor into what might otherwise have been a very serious story.
Under the watchful eye of the strictest of teachers, Lily struggles to forge genuine personal connections while confronting perplexing questions that often seem beyond her comprehension. What unfolds is ultimately a journey of self-discovery, independence, and an exploration of the profound meaning of home - a concept that proves to be far more complicated than Lily initially imagined.
One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this novel was the occasional inclusion of images. I don’t know that I had ever really seen Taipei 101, so I appreciated having a visual connection to this famous landmark. One of the characters describes the building as looking like takeout boxes stacked on top of one another, which made me smile. Of course, Taipei 101 is so much more than that. Being largely unfamiliar with Chinese culture, I also felt as though this book gave me a window into a world I knew very little about, allowing me to experience it alongside Lily.
I used the Read Aloud feature on the NetGalley app, and I was thrilled to hear actual Chinese words spoken as Lily struggled to make sense of the language. This happens throughout the book and added another layer to my reading experience.
Although I had never read R. F. Kuang before this novel, her name has been on my radar ever since I added Yellowface to my TBR. I’m glad Taipei Story finally gave me the opportunity to experience her writing. I also appreciated that, before the story even begins, Kuang provides helpful disclosures about transliteration and her perspective on the place and culture explored in the novel.
It looks like I have another author to add to my must-read list - and I’m definitely planning to explore her backlist!
Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Lily Chen is one of many Chinese American students who will be studying at a notable university in Taipei. Hoping to reconnect with a part of her heritage that has always felt missing, she spends the summer in an intensive language program, determined to become “more Chinese.” But Lily is not prepared for the language difficulties, culture shock, and friction that arise among some of the students.
The program is incredibly difficult and stressful, and Lily’s living situation only adds to her challenges. She has been assigned a roommate, Ana, and a place to live that can only generously be described as a shoebox. From the beginning, Lily and Ana struggle to get along, and their problems never quite resolve. What Lily envisioned as an exciting summer in Taipei ultimately proves to be far more unsettling than she anticipated.
When Lily receives devastating news of her grandfather’s death, her journey takes a different direction. Acknowledging the missing pieces in her understanding of her culture, she begins searching for answers. Her attempts to find them are often awkward and stumbling, and this is where R. F. Kuang does a wonderful job of weaving humor into what might otherwise have been a very serious story.
Under the watchful eye of the strictest of teachers, Lily struggles to forge genuine personal connections while confronting perplexing questions that often seem beyond her comprehension. What unfolds is ultimately a journey of self-discovery, independence, and an exploration of the profound meaning of home - a concept that proves to be far more complicated than Lily initially imagined.
One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this novel was the occasional inclusion of images. I don’t know that I had ever really seen Taipei 101, so I appreciated having a visual connection to this famous landmark. One of the characters describes the building as looking like takeout boxes stacked on top of one another, which made me smile. Of course, Taipei 101 is so much more than that. Being largely unfamiliar with Chinese culture, I also felt as though this book gave me a window into a world I knew very little about, allowing me to experience it alongside Lily.
I used the Read Aloud feature on the NetGalley app, and I was thrilled to hear actual Chinese words spoken as Lily struggled to make sense of the language. This happens throughout the book and added another layer to my reading experience.
Although I had never read R. F. Kuang before this novel, her name has been on my radar ever since I added Yellowface to my TBR. I’m glad Taipei Story finally gave me the opportunity to experience her writing. I also appreciated that, before the story even begins, Kuang provides helpful disclosures about transliteration and her perspective on the place and culture explored in the novel.
It looks like I have another author to add to my must-read list - and I’m definitely planning to explore her backlist!
Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy and Babel: An Arcane History, among others. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.http://www.twitter.com/kuangrf
http://www.rfkuang.com/
http://www.twitter.com/kuangrf
http://www.rfkuang.com/
