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A review by draagon
Taiwan Travelogue by 楊双子, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a fantastic read. It was kind of like a love letter to Taiwan and Taiwanese culture while also being a critique of the outside countries that have tried to lay claim and change that culture. As someone who lives in Taichung, where most of the story takes place, it was fascinating to hear about the familiar names and sites through the eyes of someone in the 1920s.
The story revolves around Aoyama-san, a writer from Nagoya, and Chi-chan, a native Taiwanese (or Islander, as they are called here) as Aoyama goes around Taiwan giving lectures about a novel she had previously written. Except Aoyama couldn't really care less about those lectures -- her focus is on food, any food to fill the monster in her stomach. Thus begins Chi-chan and Aoyama's unique dynamic as Chi-chan flies across Taichung and the other places they visit to fulfill Aoyama's limitless hunger. But is she really just hungering for food?
It is a fascinating look at the larger power imbalances of colonizer and colonized, boss and employee, and "developed" and "developing" cultures. Through Aoyama and Chi-chan, we witness the subtle ways Chi-chan is suppressed and kept down by not only the Japanese colonizers but also other Taiwanese who would like to gain just a minuscule amount of power by showing they're on the "right side". Aoyama wishes so desperately to bridge those vast gaps between the two, to become true friends, but is that even possible? As the novel brings us around Taiwan, these two keep encountering situations that seem to only further emphasize the impossibility of this wish. Every chapter focuses on a certain food, and that food, and the experience of getting it and eating it, in turn sheds light on another dynamic of the two's relationship, sometimes positive sometimes negative, until everything comes to a head in the second to last chapter. It is very much a masterclass in structure and lead-up.
Also very interesting about this novel is the history behind it, which is explained in detail in the epilogues at the end. For a novel to go through so much and still be put into our hands this day in age is truly remarkable.
At any rate, I highly recommend this novel for anyone interested in Taiwanese history, Japanese circa 1920, or a relationship between two women slowly getting closer despite all of society being against it.
The story revolves around Aoyama-san, a writer from Nagoya, and Chi-chan, a native Taiwanese (or Islander, as they are called here) as Aoyama goes around Taiwan giving lectures about a novel she had previously written. Except Aoyama couldn't really care less about those lectures -- her focus is on food, any food to fill the monster in her stomach. Thus begins Chi-chan and Aoyama's unique dynamic as Chi-chan flies across Taichung and the other places they visit to fulfill Aoyama's limitless hunger. But is she really just hungering for food?
It is a fascinating look at the larger power imbalances of colonizer and colonized, boss and employee, and "developed" and "developing" cultures. Through Aoyama and Chi-chan, we witness the subtle ways Chi-chan is suppressed and kept down by not only the Japanese colonizers but also other Taiwanese who would like to gain just a minuscule amount of power by showing they're on the "right side". Aoyama wishes so desperately to bridge those vast gaps between the two, to become true friends, but is that even possible? As the novel brings us around Taiwan, these two keep encountering situations that seem to only further emphasize the impossibility of this wish. Every chapter focuses on a certain food, and that food, and the experience of getting it and eating it, in turn sheds light on another dynamic of the two's relationship, sometimes positive sometimes negative, until everything comes to a head in the second to last chapter. It is very much a masterclass in structure and lead-up.
Also very interesting about this novel is the history behind it, which is explained in detail in the epilogues at the end. For a novel to go through so much and still be put into our hands this day in age is truly remarkable.
At any rate, I highly recommend this novel for anyone interested in Taiwanese history, Japanese circa 1920, or a relationship between two women slowly getting closer despite all of society being against it.