神之鄉

Shen Zhi Xiang

In a piece of good luck, college student Chen Nuan-Nuan ends up paired with her crush, the indifferent but handsome Hsia Chih-Hsun, on a summer research project for her sociology professor. The two are tasked to research religious practices among indigenous cultures – but whose? The usually quiet Hsia suggests they research the indigenous community in Daxi. At their arrival, Nuan-Nuan discovers that this isn’t just a research trip for Hsia – it’s a return home, a trip he hasn’t made in seven years. The two of them conduct research during the build-up to the summer’s Temple Fair, the community’s most important festival, as Hsia tries uncomfortably to untangle the knot of his family’s past. Journey into the heart of humanity’s most essential, most dangerous institution – family – as Zuo Hsuan’s beautifully crafted characters attempt to build relationships and identities that will stand the tests of life. (Source: Books from Taiwan)