This historical fiction novel is set in onion-like layers of frame narratives which greatly increased my enjoyment of the text. Originally written in Mandarin, this novel presents itself as a translation of a 1938 Japanese manuscript written by Aoyama Chizuko, a 26 year old writer touring Taiwan. She yearns to experience the flavors and sights of true Taiwan, at the time a colony of the Japanese Empire. She is assigned an interpreter, a younger woman born and raised on the island whose Japanese name is Chizuru. Aoyama is immediately entranced by her native guide, who is charming, well-read, multi-lingual and poised beyond her years. Aoyama has a famously enormous appetite, which she describes as a monster living in her stomach, and she is amazed when she discovers that Chizuru can match her bite for bite. Aoyama begins to make offers to Chizuru that far outstrip the professional relationship they are meant to have, but she is never able to see the gulf of class, wealth, and colonial power which separate them. Her blindness to her own privilege is the central tragedy of this tale. Supporting this story are two layers of translator's footnotes, an introduction by a fictional researcher, and multiple afterwards by others who supposedly discovered the text and translated it for new audiences. Much of this paratext is omitted in the audiobook; this is a book you MUST read in print. I recommend it, especially if you are interested in translation, luscious food descriptions, and unrequited lesbian yearning.