{"product_id":"taipei-story-by-r-f-kuang-illumicrate-exclusive","title":"Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang (Illumicrate Exclusive)","description":"\u003cp\u003eCollege freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen shocking news arrives: Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTaipei Story\u003c\/em\u003e asks: What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur Illumicrate Exclusive edition is a Royal hardback and features:⁠\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn exclusive redesigned cover (art by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jasonchuangart\/\" title=\"Instagram @jasonchuangart\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e@jasonchaungart\u003c\/a\u003e; design by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/_anniearnold\/\" title=\"Instagram @_anniearnold\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e@_anniearnold\u003c\/a\u003e)⁠\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFull colour art and foil on the hardback (art by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/whooli.chen\/\" title=\"Instagram @whooli.chen\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e@whooli.chen\u003c\/a\u003e)⁠\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDigitally printed fore-edge (by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jasonchuangart\/\" title=\"Instagram @jasonchuangart\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e@jasonchaungart\u003c\/a\u003e); block-sprayed top and bottom⁠\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEndpaper artwork; different front and back (by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hsiaoroncheng\/\" title=\"Instagram @hsiaoroncheng\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e@hsiaoroncheng\u003c\/a\u003e)⁠\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand signed by the author⁠\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note, this is a digital mock-up and finished copies may differ slightly.⁠\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLimited to one per person.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Illumicrate US","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54785292960067,"sku":"EXCL218-TAIPEI-BOOK","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0900\/3597\/8563\/files\/EXCL218-TAIPEI-2.jpg?v=1788364942","url":"https:\/\/us.illumicrate.com\/products\/taipei-story-by-r-f-kuang-illumicrate-exclusive","provider":"Illumicrate US","version":"1.0","type":"link"}