Wren’s Reviews > Taipei Story > Status Update

The logic-ing of loss is something I’m too familiar with

“‘They’re getting old.’ […]
‘Yes. […] That’s what parents do.’”

“The capacity for all of this was in my DNA. But the transformation was incomplete; as it was, I felt trapped inside my skin, and all my irritations simmered underneath with nowhere to go “

“This was the problem with having access to only simple grammar. It made your thinking simple too.”
Yes and no. I feel like simple grammar and vocab means you can cobble stuff together that semi works and is creative to find ways to describe basic things. But yes it feels a bit frustrating when you have ideas but cant express them

I feel my page by page commentary says more about me than it does about the book

“Did the locals tolerate us? Did they despise us? Did they think about us at all?”
As someone who grew up in a big touristy place, I’ve had complicated relationships with tourists. When I visit places, I hate being a tourist and rather immerse myself, but when have I actually done that? I rarely speak the language and exude American from every lean

“Chinese restaurants were where Chinese Americans went to feel shame.”
I agree and disagree. A memory I can’t forget is ordering for a bunch of white friends being the only Asian at the table. But then I feel proud using Cantonese to order at dim sum places

“I had a right to this place, and [the tourists] didn’t”

I don’t know what it says about me that I so deeply identify with Lily: someone who desires to feel connection to heritage and culture and thinks a trip will fix all that