First love. Second language. Final goodbyes.

For Lily, mastering Chinese means connection:

To her family

Her heritage

To herself

But what if waiting for perfection means it's too late to get the answers she wants most?

The electrifying new novel from the literary phenomenon.

Yale student Lily Chen arrives in Taipei hungry: for family, for culture, for connection.

But her summer of discovery quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate unbearable, and a reckless, deeply awkward trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon ignites vicious gossip.

Then her grandfather dies.

Grieving and adrift, Lily must confront her own questions about the culture she inherited but never fully understood. She embarks on a wryly funny, often devastating search for understanding: of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

All over one unforgettable summer in Taipei.

‘Kuang is sharply attuned to current mores, but prefers satire to lecturing – reminiscent, in this respect, of her fellow American writers Kiley Reid and Curtis Sittenfeld, who have also written wonderful campus novels. I loved this idiosyncratic coming-of-age story’ THE SPECTATOR

‘For fans of Sally Rooney and Coco Mellors’ COUNTRY & TOWN HOUSE

‘A sophisticated coming-of-age story’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘A timely, deeply moving novel’ GUARDIAN

‘Masterful and intelligent’ BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW

‘A sharp look at second-generation immigration experience’ GRAZIA

‘Wryly funny, often devastating’ SHEERLUXE

‘There is a wildness and freedom to her work that is extraordinary. Her characters are complex and human; nothing feels contrived’ TIME MAGAZINE

A flood of five star reader reviews:

'As an immigrant myself, this book resonated with me on a very personal level… That feeling of expressing yourself differently, or never quite sounding like you, was captured perfectly… Kuang also brings Taipei vividly to life… It left me reflecting long after I finished' Reader Review

'I found this tale of culture and identity to be outstanding in every way' Reader Review

'It was just a joy to read and experience the writing. I have so much love for this novel' Reader Review

'It perfectly encapsulates the feeling of living in a foreign country and trying to learn the language' Reader Review

'Kuang is masterful with her words, insightful with her history and absolutely delightful with the gravity of her worlds' Reader Review