For anyone else listening to the audiobook in English -- the narrator is Sarah Skaer. From a quick search, she is "half Japanese" and "raised in Japan" according to her bio. This is definitely apparent as I wince every time she attempts to pronounce Taiwanese (Hokkien) words. Given the numerous articles and interviews that both the author Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translator Lin King have given regarding their intentionality with picking/choosing the most fitting words in all respective languages, I wonder if they had a say in choosing who the English narrator would be, or if that was left up to the publisher. And if it was intentional to choose a narrator that could only speak Japanese + English, I wonder what the thought process behind that choice was. (Though, I am curious as to the number of individuals who exist that are fluent in all languages: Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese Hokkien, Japanese and English, let alone the number of those fluent in all aforementioned languages who are also voice actors.)

Additionally, the audiobook does not include the numerous amount of footnotes that are present in the physical book. As noted in this article "'Taiwan Travelogue' is a Mandarin novel that disguises itself as a Japanese text. Yáng originally published the book under the fictional name Aoyama Chizuko, listing herself as the translator of a "rediscovered" Japanese travelogue from 1938. The novel comes complete with fake footnotes, a fictional translator's note by Yáng in character, and an afterword by the Taiwanese interpreter who is also the novel's central love interest. King had to translate all of this into English while preserving every layer of the deception. Her own real footnotes now sit alongside Yáng's fictional ones, creating what she has described as becoming "in a small way, a character throughout the book." The result is a text where the reader must constantly ask who is speaking, who is translating, and whose version of the truth they are holding." I know there is a TON of other similar interviews and articles where similar things are repeated and discussed, and I'm sure I'll be delving more into them as I continue reading (and then discussing especially with other Taiwanese people).

I think I will be getting the most out of this book by both listening and reading at the same time (especially since I am not fluent at all in Japanese, but I can read and understand the romanization of Taiwanese Hokkien + Chinese Mandarin). I feel like those especially not familiar with ANY of the languages would also probably most benefit from listening and reading at the same time as to 1) not get confused on what parts are "fiction" and 2) what parts are a nod to the actual historical period and/or cultural relevance of some dishes and places.

Johanna, loving the book. However, mayhaps we have mayhap’d too many mayhaps close to the sun, with all the mayhaps I’ve just read, mayhaps?