Taipei Story

Can a novel be both interesting and boring?

That was the question I found myself asking after finishing Taipei Story, the latest from genre-crossing author R.F. Kuang (Yellowface, Katabasis). The story follows Lily Chen, a Chinese American student at Yale who enrolls in an intensive summer language immersion program in Taipei. While Lily's motivations are varied, they primarily stem from a desire to connect more deeply with her extended family and heritage. As she reflects over the course of the novel, she realizes she knows surprisingly little about her parents' and grandparents' pasts—largely because she never had the language skills to ask.

The most compelling aspect of the book was its immersive portrayal of Taipei and its culture. Having never visited Taiwan, I found that the novel’s memoir-like tone effectively filled in those visual and cultural gaps. Beyond portraying contemporary Taipei, Kuang explores its history. True to her reputation, she does not shy away from sensitive subjects, addressing the complex relationship between Taiwan and China head-on. She even incorporates discussions surrounding the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide. While informative and engaging, these heavy topics do not make for light reading.

So why is the novel boring? From a plot perspective, very little actually happens. The story focuses heavily on the mental approach required to master a new language. Lily's classmates are almost entirely unlikable, and Lily herself is not a particularly sympathetic protagonist. Anyone who has attempted a language immersion program will recognize the authenticity of the experience, but that process is inherently slow and repetitive. The character relationships also feel superficial: while we follow Lily's journey, it is largely solitary. With few genuine connections and minimal plot tension, there is little to pull the reader along.

Taipei Story is informative if you want to learn more about Taiwan, and validating if you have ever attempted language immersion. Beyond those niche aspects, however, there is not much else to recommend. I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.