R.F. Kuang’s latest novel, “Taipei Story,” follows the journey of Lily Chen, a Chinese-born college student raised in Boston, as she spends a summer studying Mandarin at National Taiwan University. Unlike Kuang’s previous works steeped in historical fantasy and political intrigue, this book takes a quieter, more introspective look at identity, language, and the immigrant experience against the backdrop of contemporary Taiwan.

Lily’s return to Taipei, her parents’ homeland and the capital of Taiwan, is part of a personal quest to reconnect with her heritage. Raised in the United States since childhood, she embarks on this intensive language program after her freshman year at Yale University, confronting the realities of cultural dislocation and linguistic challenge firsthand. Though she initially assumes her American upbringing will shield her from culture shock, she quickly finds herself overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment — from Taipei’s humid climate and unfamiliar street signs to the complex nuances of Mandarin, a language without the grammatical structure she had learned in her Romance language studies.

Kuang uses Lily’s experience to explore broader questions about Taiwan’s place in modern Chinese identity and its geopolitical significance amid tensions with mainland China. Lily grapples with her understanding of the island as “the last bulwark of democracy against China” or as a contested territory pulling its own historical and cultural identity between imperialist narratives and local realities. The novel also touches on themes of family and belonging, as Lily’s relationships are strained by physical distance and emotional complexities — she remains distant from her mother in the United States and her grandparents in Guangzhou, unable to visit China due to visa restrictions.

Set against the everyday pressures of student life—midterms, roommates, social exclusion—Lily wrestles with feelings of isolation and the burden of expectations. An incident involving her roommate’s romantic interest leads to social ostracism, and a family tragedy communicated by text rings sharply in her solitary wanderings through Taipei’s cafes, tours, and concerts. Through these moments, Kuang presents a nuanced portrayal of how diaspora and identity fragment and reshape personal narratives.

Distinct from Kuang’s earlier work, which often involved sweeping historical conflicts and fantasy elements, “Taipei Story” is a work of literary fiction focused on intimate, internal struggles. The novel is narrated in Lily’s wry, introspective voice, capturing the simultaneity of small personal doubts and large geopolitical questions.

Kuang draws a thematic parallel between Lily’s challenges and those of historical figures such as Robin Swift, the protagonist of her 2022 novel “Babel,” who returned to Canton during the Opium War, confronting the legacies of empire and language. In “Taipei Story,” progress—whether linguistic, cultural, or personal—is depicted as cyclical rather than linear, with Lily’s efforts to find belonging echoing the complex histories that shaped her family and the region.

Through Lily’s summer in Taipei, Kuang examines how language and place intertwine with identity and history, offering a contemplative exploration of return, self-discovery, and the enduring complexities of diaspora life.