I happened to meet Abigail Hing Wen through a friend, and she mentioned that she’d recently published a young adult novel. Intrigued that this attorney and expert in artificial intelligence also worked in a creative field, I picked up a copy.

I am pleased to say that I quite enjoyed Loveboat, Taipei. It concerns Ever Wong, recent high school graduate, who gets sent by her overbearing parents to an educational summer program, Chien Tan (in English, the Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour). Expecting a strict course of study, she finds herself, quite unexpectedly, in what the students call “Loveboat.”  

The program’s nickname is quite appropriate, as there’s extremely lax supervision of the young participants. Ever finds her first taste of freedom exhilarating–romance, sex, nightlife, alcohol, exploring Taipei. She makes mistakes, as do her new friends–they are careless with each other’s reputations, and with each other’s hearts. There’s a lot of drama, and an awful lot of plot here: hookups, glamour photo shoots, clubbing, a talent show, make-believe dating, actual dating, an injury, snake-blood sake. There are also many social issues that come up in the course of the term–the immigrant narrative, dating violence, non-consensual pornography, depression, suicidal ideation, learning disabilities, racism, gender stereotypes, dysfunctional families, the plight of the Taiwanese indigenous population. Somewhat unrealistically, Ever and her friends all land on their feet, problems resolved, ready for the world. (Wouldn’t it be fantastic if life really worked like that?)

Ever’s a likable protagonist in what ends up being both a romance and a coming of age story, as she moves from obedience, to rebellion, to a more thoughtful understanding of who she is and what she wants, managing to navigate, by the end, both her parental expectations, and her own artistic aspirations for her future. Can a summer abroad really change the direction of your life? Well, at age 18 it certainly seems that way, and the end of the summer brings our heroine to a very satisfactory conclusion.

NOVEL: Loveboat, Taipei

AUTHOR: Abigail Hing Wen

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2020

IMAGE: Book cover, Harper Collins