History of Taipei

Freshman Lily Chen is preparing to spend the summer in Taipei on an intensive language program, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. However, the promising start falls apart. The classes are demanding, her roommate is driving her crazy, and a reckless fling with a boy she barely knows makes her the target of gossip. Lily feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought was home.

Then, devastating news arrives: Lily's grandfather has died. The loss forces her to confront questions about her family history that now remain unanswered. As she grieves, Lily is drawn into a journey of self-discovery—intertwining memories, stories, and silences in a series of comical and devastating attempts to connect.

Taipei Story asks: What if the diaspora fantasy of returning home never comes true? What if learning the language doesn't bring us closer to the people we are trying to reach? What if we search for our family's history, but the family doesn't want to share it? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer transforms into a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

From the acclaimed author of Katabasis and Impostora comes a novel that is simultaneously ironic and poignant, guiding us through grief, culture shock, and language barriers—all under the sun of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.