Marcus Chen speaks seventeen languages fluently, but he struggles to find his authentic voice in any of them. Born in Hong Kong to a British father and Chinese mother, he moves between countries as a translator and interpreter, collecting words like souvenirs. In Prague, he falls for Elena, a Czech poet who challenges his belief that language shapes identity. When a mistranslation during a diplomatic summit threatens to derail peace negotiations, Marcus must choose between professional discretion and personal truth. As he recalls his childhood switching between Cantonese at home and English at school, his failed marriage to a monolingual American, and his years studying obscure dialects in remote villages, Marcus realizes that his gift for languages has become a barrier to genuine connection. The story unfolds through his reflections on how each language he masters creates a different version of himself, leaving him uncertain which one represents who he really is.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, memoir
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, identity-crisis
Setting: Hong Kong, Prague
Period: Contemporary