Dual Male Leads
From 1987 to 2007, the tides of the times surged around them. Wang Mao and Liu Mei, two lovers on society’s margins, struggled to survive in the depths of hardship. From their first meeting at a construction site, where a blue flower marked the bond of fate between them, to the tangled desires of an underground dance hall, then through a mistaken AIDS diagnosis and the challenges of gender-affirming surgery, every step was an uphill battle.
Their love was battered by society’s cold stares and the crushing weight of life, yet remained tenacious. Liu Mei’s wig concealed a secret. Wang Mao used coal dust to paint a picture of hope. Frost flowers formed on a bottle of estrogen, and cracks in green glass bore witness to their partings and reunions. When death arrived, Liu Mei’s final wish and Wang Mao’s steadfast devotion allowed a love that transcended life and death to shine with heartbreaking brilliance amid a cruel reality.
This novel is structured rather unusually for Tomato. The chapters aren’t linked by a continuous narrative, but focus mainly on the changing inner worlds of the two protagonists. As a result, the timeline can seem jumpy, and it may feel as though not much actually happens. I don’t know what the outcome of writing it this way will be. It’s a new experiment, and I hope you’ll enjoy it.
One more thing: I labeled this as having two male leads because, although Liu Mei outwardly presents as a transgender person, we can never be sure whether Liu Mei is truly transgender or whether rigid, deeply rooted stereotypes about what it means to be “male” make it impossible for him to identify with that gender.
