Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
Author : R.F. Kuang
Book : Taipei Story
/ Fiction , Contemporary /
Publication date : September 8, 2026
Blurb:
When Yale student Lily arrives in Taipei for a summer’s study at the National Taiwan University, she’s looking forward to working on her Chinese language and finding her Chinese self. If only it was that simple. When her grandfather suddenly dies, Lily discovers a past so profoundly heartbreaking that she finds herself stuck, unable to move forward. But her grandfather’s story is not her own; none of it happened to her. How can Lily reconcile who she is, with where her family are from, when she is caught between their past and her present?
My thoughts:
After Babel, I believe this book is another shining testament to Kuang's immense love of languages and learning, and I enjoyed it greatly.
Beautifully written, but I think that is a constant for her, and we are so spoiled in that regard that we don't expect it to be any other way.
Lily's journey is about rediscovering her roots and language through her trip to Taipei for a summer language course that turns out to be so much more.
At first, I was annoyed with her character for being so entitled and arrogant, expecting everything to be... let's say, easy and accommodating because she is a foreigner.
But as the book progressed, so did her character, becoming more humble and realising and learning many things, not only the language she came for.
A lot of gut-wrenching grief and emotion, and it was intriguing to follow her change and growth.
The interesting thing is that it left me with food for thought long after I finished reading the book, and I loved it.
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