Every nation, region, and era has that novelist who captures (or perhaps falsifies a meaningful likeness of) the historical period in which they live in the form of a multi-generational family epic, depicting the détente and rapprochement of familial relationships against the shifting political and economic circumstances of the times. The historical slings and arrows suffered by Taiwan over the past century are exceptionally fertile ground for gestating such a work, as we see in Gold Moon Lotus. Living through the period of Japanese rule, the White Terror, and the post-authoritarian transition to democracy, the three principal characters of the novel illustrate the misfortunes of one family and the difficult position of women during these times, their individual lives re-enacting the fractures, reunifications, effacements, and restorations of the modern history of Taiwan.