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Why is this island always caught in between?

"A magician of history, repeatedly bringing readers to the margins of great historical moments, allowing us to glimpse that history which both doesn't exist and absolutely exists."

This breathtaking second volume of her acclaimed Taiwan Trilogy weaves together two extraordinary love stories separated by three centuries, yet bound by the same tragic fate. Two men from different eras discover that their deepest personal connections become their greatest vulnerabilities in a world where loyalty to nation often conflicts with loyalty to the heart.

In the 17th century, Frederick Coyett, the last Dutch colonial governor, poured his heart and soul into Taiwan, only to lose his beloved island to its next ruler and his career to colonial politics. Three hundred years later, an American diplomat's brilliant career crumbles when his passionate affair with a Taiwanese woman leads to devastating espionage charges in the early 2000s. Both men are haunted by elusive and mysterious female figures who embody Taiwan itself—beautiful, vulnerable, and perpetually misunderstood by the foreign powers who claim to protect her.

These parallel narratives reveal Taiwan's perpetual position as a strategic pawn caught between superpowers, transforming dry historical facts into deeply felt emotional truths, examining Taiwan's complex colonial legacy through the intimate lens of historical scope.

As the opening volume of the Taiwan Trilogy, this novel establishes themes that will undoubtedly resonate throughout the series: the relationship between individual agency and historical forces, the ways personal stories reflect larger national narratives, and the endless human capacity to imagine new possibilities even in the most constrained circumstances. To the East of the East confirms Ping Lu’s position as one of contemporary Taiwanese literature's most sophisticated voices. For readers seeking fiction that combines emotional depth with intellectual rigor, this novel offers a journey as rewarding as it is unforgettable.