An Excess Male

In her thought-provoking debut, An Excess Male, Maggie Shen King presents a dystopian vision of a near-future China shaped by the repercussions of the One Child Policy, resulting in 40 million unmarriageable men. The story follows Wei-guo as he navigates a society where authoritarian measures and social engineering dictate personal relationships and family structures. In his quest for love, Wei-guo is drawn to a family with an illegal arrangement, prompting a deep exploration of patriotism, identity, and the complexities of human connection in a controlled environment. King’s narrative raises poignant questions about the intersections of marriage, gender, and state in a chilling yet plausible future.