'Taipei Story' is a more personal novel from 'Yellowface' author R.F. Kuang
NPR's Book of the Day
Author R.F. Kuang discusses her transition from genre-defining fantasy to her new literary novel, Taipei Story. The conversation delves into
Key takeaways
- R.F. Kuang uses the novel to process grief following the death of her grandfather.
- The author reveals that her extended maternal family was impacted by the Cambodian genocide.
Main topics
- Literary fiction vs. Genre fiction
- Linguistic identity
Notable quotes
It was like having to do long division every time I opened my eyes.
Conclusion
The episode highlights how personal trauma and the complexities of her
Transcript preview
Speaker 6 (0:01) Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. I get a lot of emails from book publicists along the lines of, oh, this thriller writer is out with their first romance book, or this romance writer is out with their first sci-fi book, or, oh, this crime writer is out with their first literary novel. Implicit in these pitches is this idea that authors... generally stay in their lanes. The guy who writes legal thrillers will now and forevermore write legal thrillers, same for the woman who writes family dramas that span generations. But why? Arv Kuang is a writer who has broken this mold. She got big for writing huge, chonky fantasy books, came out a few years ago with a satirical novel, and is out now with a literary novel about language and family. It's titled Taipei Story. And she talked to Here and Now's Indira Lakshmanan about the book, but also why she wants to do everything. That's after the break. Speaker 5 (0:58) This November, there's a wave of Democrats running for office who are all members of the clergy. But can they convince Speaker 2 (1:04) the party's secular base? I don't think religion should play into government and politics at all. I thought the country was founded on that. On Speaker 5 (1:13) the Sunday Story, how Democratic pastors are reframing the role of faith in American politics. Listen now to the Sunday Story from the Up First podcast on the NPR app. Speaker 7 (1:22) Before Bernie Sanders or AOC, a man named Michael Harrington tried to market socialism to the American public. Speaker 1 (1:30) Tens of millions of Americans are poor, miserable, in body and in spirit. Speaker 7 (1:35) On NPR's ThruLine. how the founder of the DSA created a modern political movement. Listen to ThruLine in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 8 (1:46) For many American children of immigrants, visiting their parents' homeland is an awkward pilgrimage to an unfamiliar culture. Visiting relatives they barely know, muddling through conversations they barely understand. In her new coming-of-age novel, best-selling author R.F. Kuang tells the bittersweet story of the search for identity through language. Taipei Story follows Lily Chen, a Chinese-American student in a grueling Chinese immersion course. Lily wants to become fluent so she can ask her grandfather about their family history. but he dies before she gets that chance. Lily's summer abroad is one of mistranslation, miscommunication, and being a different person in a different language. Joining us now to talk about Taipei's story is RF Kuang. Rebecca, welcome back to the show. Speaker 4 (2:33) Thank you for having me. Speaker 8 (2:35) So this book is far more grounded in present-day reality than much of your previous work, and it feels more personal. Like your protagonist, you were born in China and immigrated with your family as a young girl. Like her, you're a student at Yale who did a rigorous summer program in Taipei. Like her, you have immigrant Chinese parents. How much of Lily Chen is drawn from your own experiences? Speaker 4 (2:59) I'd say a lot. Primarily, I was in Taipei three years ago when my own grandfather passed away. I was a lot closer to my