Taipei Story: A Novel (精裝本)

★ 《黃臉孔》《巴別塔》全球暢銷作家匡靈秀最動人的成長小說
★ 一個夏天，在台北展開——關於語言、家族記憶與身分認同的尋根之旅
★ 當「回家」的想像破碎，我們還能如何理解自己？

在台北的暑期華語課程中，大一新生莉莉原以為能重新連結自己的文化與家族，卻在課業壓力、同儕流言與文化衝擊中逐漸迷失。當祖父突然離世，那些尚未來得及詢問的家族故事成為永遠的空白。這個混亂又難忘的夏天，讓她開始重新理解語言、身分與「家」的意義，也踏上屬於自己的成長旅程。

From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and 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 arrives: 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 asks: 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.