Taiwan Travelogue

A bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history, and power.

Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature

Winner of the 2024 Baifang Schell Book Prize for Outstanding Translated Literature from Chinese Language

Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, Taiwan Travelogue is a bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history and power.

Set in May 1938, the young novelist Aoyama Chizuko sails from her home in Nagasaki, Japan to Taiwan upon the invite of the Japanese government ruling the island. She has no interest in official banquets or imperialist agenda but instead finds – with the help and companionship of her Taiwanese interpreter, Chizuru – a desire to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear.

Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is.