![]() ![]() "The Moon and the Other," by John Kessel (Saga Press) King writes distinctive and sympathetic characters, and her vision of a not-so-far future is unnerving and thought-provoking. We hear from Wei-guo, May-ling and her two husbands as they struggle to figure out how far they are willing to go for family or country. He gets an opportunity to join a family as a third husband, the maximum allowed by law, and instantly falls in lust with May-ling. Set in 2030, after the one-child policy skews the ratio of men to women, Wei-guo is one of many “leftover men” unmarried at the age of 40. Through an almost satirical look into a near-future China, King’s debut makes a compelling argument that marriage is a method of societal control. ![]() The book is a dark, witty reminder of just how desperately people want confirmation of their place in the world. At the center of the novel is Venter Lowood, who is trying to find meaning in his life, in defiance of the phrase emblazoned on his forearm: Dependent on the opinion of others. These tattoos have inspired history-changing events, including John Lennon's songs and his shooting. In this razor-sharp alternate history, Gerrard imagines the United States - mainly New York - shaped by a mysterious piece of technology: an odd sewing machine-like device called the Epiphany Machine that tattoos a short, pithy truth on a person's arm. ![]()
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