Chung Wenyin is one of Taiwan’s most prolific writers of fiction. Originally published in Chinese in 1998, Women Islands (2011, ISBN 978- 986-82340-1-7) now appears translated into English. This novel is the tale of a young Chinese woman torn between familial responsibilities, her own personality, and the fact that she’s unprepared for the job market in her adopted city of Taipei. Nominally raised by her mother (her father was an alcoholic that died at a relatively young age), Ahmam, at the age of 30, is in no rush to get married, anathema in a world in which the financial security of having a husband is considered necessary. She doesn’t particularly care about having children, either.

As the story unfolds, she returns home to her farm community for New Year, which brings her face-to-face again with her mother, relatives, and former boyfriends. Women are the strength of this town, as many of the men have died. Older women working their fields alone is common (the title of the book is a reference to “islands” where women work alone, and more than occasionally live alone), and Ahmam recognizes she has a choice: stay home for a predictable village life, or return to Taipei to a less certain future. This well-written and intriguing book will have a particular appeal for those wishing to understand the conflict of women in Taiwan struggling to succeed in a patriarchal environment. Buy it now at the WoWasis eStore.