An Excess Male: A Novel
Sep 2017 · HarperCollins
star
5 reviews
Ebook
416
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
"Thoughtful, heartbreaking . . . King expertly explores the myriad routes to family, hope, and love in a repressive country." — Publishers Weekly
Under the One Child Policy, everyone plotted to have a son.
Now 40 million of them can't find wives.
China's One Child Policy and its cultural preference for male heirs have created a society overrun by unmarriageable men. An Excess Male is one such leftover man's quest for love and family under a State that seeks to glorify its past mistakes and impose order through authoritarian measures, reinvigorated Communist ideals, and social engineering.
Wei-guo holds fast to the belief that as long as he continues to improve himself, his chance at love will come. He finally saves up the dowry required to enter matchmaking talks at the lowest rung as a third husband—the maximum allowed by law. Only a single family shows interest, yet with May-ling and her two husbands, Wei-guo feels seen, heard, and connected like never before. But everyone and everything—walls, streetlights, garbage cans—are listening, and men, excess or not, are dispensable to the State. Wei-guo must test the limits of his love and his resolve in order to save himself and this family he has come to hold dear.
"King writes distinctive and sympathetic characters, and her vision of a not-so-far future is unnerving and thought-provoking." — The Washington Post
"Disturbing, funny, suspenseful and keenly observed." — San Francisco Chronicle
"The Handmaid's Tale of a new generation." —Peter Clines, author of Paradox Bound and The Fold
"Provocative . . . An intelligent, incisive commentary on how love survives—or doesn't—under the heel of the State." — Kirkus Reviews
Under the One Child Policy, everyone plotted to have a son.
Now 40 million of them can't find wives.
China's One Child Policy and its cultural preference for male heirs have created a society overrun by unmarriageable men. An Excess Male is one such leftover man's quest for love and family under a State that seeks to glorify its past mistakes and impose order through authoritarian measures, reinvigorated Communist ideals, and social engineering.
Wei-guo holds fast to the belief that as long as he continues to improve himself, his chance at love will come. He finally saves up the dowry required to enter matchmaking talks at the lowest rung as a third husband—the maximum allowed by law. Only a single family shows interest, yet with May-ling and her two husbands, Wei-guo feels seen, heard, and connected like never before. But everyone and everything—walls, streetlights, garbage cans—are listening, and men, excess or not, are dispensable to the State. Wei-guo must test the limits of his love and his resolve in order to save himself and this family he has come to hold dear.
"King writes distinctive and sympathetic characters, and her vision of a not-so-far future is unnerving and thought-provoking." — The Washington Post
"Disturbing, funny, suspenseful and keenly observed." — San Francisco Chronicle
"The Handmaid's Tale of a new generation." —Peter Clines, author of Paradox Bound and The Fold
"Provocative . . . An intelligent, incisive commentary on how love survives—or doesn't—under the heel of the State." — Kirkus Reviews
"Thoughtful, heartbreaking . . . King expertly explores the myriad routes to family, hope, and love in a repressive country." — Publishers Weekly
Under the One Child Policy, everyone plotted to have a son.
Now 40 million of them can't find wives.
China's One Child Policy and its cultural prefe...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
5 reviews
shreya parab
- Flag inappropriate
October 5, 2022
loved it. the story is heartbreaking and hopeful at same time.
About the author
Maggie Shen King is the author of An Excess Male (Harper Voyager), one of The Washington Post's 5 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2017. She is Goodreads September 2017 Debut Author the Month. Her short stories have appeared in Ecotone, ZYZZYVA, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Fourteen Hills. Her manuscript Fortune's Fools, won Second Prize in Amazon's 2012 Breakthrough Novel Award. She grew up in Taiwan, moved to Seattle at age 16, and studied English literature at Harvard College.
Maggie Shen King is the author of An Excess Male (Harper Voyager), one of The Washington Post's 5 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2017. She is Goodreads September 2017 Debut Author the Month. Her short stories have appeared in Ecotone, ZYZZYVA, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Fourteen Hi...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
