July Pick: Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi
Details
Our July Pick is Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi
About the book:
A bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history, and power. May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She's been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear.
Soon a Taiwanese woman is hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizuko's travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. 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.
Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwan's highest literary honour, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.
Taiwan Travelogue recently won the International Booker Prize so it should be easy to get hold of and it sounds very different from previous texts we've read!
Meet Up Details:
We'll meet at Angelika Bar (State Cinema, North Hobart) at 4pm for a casual book discussion.
- 4pm: Meet and greet
- 4.15pm: Book discussion
- 5pm: Share next month's book details
- 5.10pm: Finish up - those who want to stay and chat are welcome to do so.
Food and drinks are available at the venue at your own cost.
Due to limited spots, if you're unable to attend for any reason, please update your RSVP ASAP so others can take your spot. Thanks!