Taipei Story: A dazzling coming-of-age literary novel

Taipei Story is a literary coming-of-age novel by R. F. Kuang, bestselling author of Yellowface, Babel, The Poppy War trilogy, and Katabasis. Set during an unforgettable summer in Taipei, the novel explores first love, identity, language, grief, family history, and the complicated search for belonging.

The story follows Lily Chen, a Chinese American college freshman who travels to Taipei to attend an intensive Mandarin language program, hoping to reconnect with the culture and heritage she feels she has inherited but never fully understood. However, her dream of finding a sense of home quickly becomes complicated as she struggles with demanding classes, an overwhelming new environment, cultural expectations, and the challenges of being an outsider in a place she expected to feel familiar.

When Lily receives the devastating news that her grandfather has died, her summer transforms into a deeply personal journey through grief and self-discovery. As she searches for answers about her family’s past, she confronts questions about memory, diaspora, language, and whether returning to one’s roots can truly provide a sense of belonging. Along the way, moments of humor, awkwardness, romance, and heartbreak shape her understanding of herself and the meaning of home.

Unlike Kuang’s previous fantasy and speculative works, Taipei Story is a contemporary literary novel focused on emotional realism, cultural identity, and the experiences of navigating multiple worlds.