Taiwan Travelogue
Score Modern
What it's about
In May 1938, Aoyama Chizuko, a young novelist from Nagasaki, arrives in Japanese-ruled Taiwan at the government's invitation. She has no interest in official banquets; she wants to see real island life and taste its food, as much as her famously huge appetite can bear. Her interpreter, a meticulous young Taiwanese woman named Chizuru, makes that possible, and the two women grow close across the gap of colonial power.
Why it's worth reading
It won the 2026 International Booker Prize. It's a sensuous novel about food, friendship, love and colonialism, framed as a rediscovered travel memoir.
You'll love it if you liked
The Safekeep, Convenience Store Woman or Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Good to know
Its framing, a supposed memoir with translators' notes, is part of the pleasure. Lin King's translation keeps the novel's layered languages.
Quick answers
Is Taiwan Travelogue worth reading?
Yes. It won the 2026 International Booker Prize. It ranks #372 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Taiwan Travelogue about?
In May 1938, Aoyama Chizuko, a young novelist from Nagasaki, arrives in Japanese-ruled Taiwan at the government's invitation. She has no interest in official banquets; she wants to see real island life and taste its food, as much as her famously huge appetite can bear. Her interpreter, a meticulous young Taiwanese woman named Chizuru, makes that possible, and the two women grow close across the gap of colonial power.
How long does it take to read Taiwan Travelogue?
About 8 hours (320 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Taiwan Travelogue won?
International Booker Prize winner (2026).
What should I read after Taiwan Travelogue?
If you liked it, try The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata or Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
By the numbers
- Readers63 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz100 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
International Booker Prize winner (2026).
Where it ranks
- #23 of the 233 romances we rank
- #187 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #372 of the 2,819 books we rank
Won
- International Booker Prize winner (2026)
Reads as
Uplifting
