Taipei Story
A Novel
Readers rate it 4.5 (3 on Hardcover)
Released Sep 8, 2026 · HarperCollins
Content report card
What's inside
Violence
LGBTQ+ themes
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
Taipei Story is a coming-of-age novel centered on grief, cultural identity, and self-discovery during a transformative summer abroad. While it deals with mature emotional themes like death and family trauma, it's not gratuitously dark and ultimately emphasizes resilience and understanding. The language is conversational and occasionally profane (fitting for a college-aged protagonist), and there are references to romantic/sexual situations but nothing explicit. This is best suited for older teens who can engage with its literary exploration of belonging and loss.
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From the publisher
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... 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.
Shelved under
- Fiction
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ISBN 9780063473768 · HarperCollins