Sparks are sure to fly when four master’s students with wildly divergent personalities begin living together in a Japanese colonial-era boarding house run by a mysterious landlady. Yet, perhaps this is just what is needed to shake up the lives of these young women, and point them each in a better direction.

Built during the pre-war era of Japanese rule, the house at No. 1, Siwei Street in Taichung has lived many lives before its current incarnation as a small boarding house for female graduate students from the local university. The residents include socially awkward first-year history student Nai-Yun, the optimistic but always broke Cha-Cha, the sensitive and aloof Feng, and puritanical star-student Chih-Yi, who is working on a novel even as she finishes her thesis. This uneasy mix of personalities is further complicated by the presence of their bizarre and inscrutable landlady, Hsiu-Yi.

After Nai-Yun discovers a century-old cookbook, she tries out a recipe and musters the courage to invite Cha-Cha to eat with her, but is met with rejection. Feng and Chih-Yi appear affectionate with one another at the dinner table, but seem determined to keep the exact nature of their relationship a secret. The truth is that each of these four young women have unspoken dilemmas weighing on them. Over the course of their days together, as they slowly delve into the secret history of the house they share, and enjoy daily meals of Taiwanese comfort food – medicinal chicken soup, eel with tamagoyaki, and sweet taro porridge – will the barriers between them gradually erode? How will their lives and relationships be changed by the days spent living at No. 1, Siwei Street?

Following on the success of Taiwan Travelogue, Yang Shuang-Zi returns with another novel based in meticulous historical research. With her characteristic warmth, she applies her refined prose to the subject of a historic building converted into a boarding house for female graduate students. The result is a moving narrative that blends architectural and culinary history into a tale of the evolving relationships between five women all at critical junctures in their lives.