read by James Chen, Tim Chiou, and Elaine Kao
Set in a near-future China where the problem of “excess
males” caused by a combination of the one-child policy and parents’ preference
for boy children is being solved by making “advanced families” (two or three
husbands sharing one wife) the norm, this book tells the story of a two-husband
family considering “going the max” by marrying a third man, and that of the man
being considered.
The little family has secrets that would be safer without adding another person to the mix. One of May-Ling's husbands has autism, and the other is "willfully sterile," meaning gay. Both of these conditions are, if not technically illegal, certainly punishable, and must be kept hidden if their child is to thrive and everybody is to survive in relative freedom. But those selfsame secrets make the marriage untenable, in the long run, for two of its members. That's why they're even considering adding a third husband to the mix.
Meanwhile Wei-Guo, our eponymous "excess male," has, in his 40s, just managed to save up enough money for a dowry. He soon falls in love with May-Ling, to the consternation of his fathers, who are appropriately cautious about the match. They've heard rumors about May-Ling's husbands, and being a third husband isn't exactly a high-status position.
And then, of course, disaster strikes and everybody has to decide how committed they really are to their desires and to each other, and what kind of consequences they're willing to accept for their actions. Wei-Guo's talent for loyalty won't be enough to save anyone without a lot of help from an unexpected quarter.
The little family has secrets that would be safer without adding another person to the mix. One of May-Ling's husbands has autism, and the other is "willfully sterile," meaning gay. Both of these conditions are, if not technically illegal, certainly punishable, and must be kept hidden if their child is to thrive and everybody is to survive in relative freedom. But those selfsame secrets make the marriage untenable, in the long run, for two of its members. That's why they're even considering adding a third husband to the mix.
Meanwhile Wei-Guo, our eponymous "excess male," has, in his 40s, just managed to save up enough money for a dowry. He soon falls in love with May-Ling, to the consternation of his fathers, who are appropriately cautious about the match. They've heard rumors about May-Ling's husbands, and being a third husband isn't exactly a high-status position.
And then, of course, disaster strikes and everybody has to decide how committed they really are to their desires and to each other, and what kind of consequences they're willing to accept for their actions. Wei-Guo's talent for loyalty won't be enough to save anyone without a lot of help from an unexpected quarter.
This book is super absorbing, and as a bonus, raises all sorts of
interesting points about gender roles, neurodiversity, the nature of love, and the meaning of family. Highly
recommend.
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