I Took My Son to Court

I Took My Son to Court is a powerful work of realism that cuts to the bone of Chinese family life. It begins with the unequal warmth and coldness around a New Year's Eve dinner, then peels back twenty years of unspoken pain in an ordinary family: favoritism hidden behind “it's for your own good,” wounds inflicted in the name of “joking,” and abandonment dressed up as “practicality.” When the mother finally takes her younger son to court, we see more than a family lawsuit. We hear the collective accusation of countless “second-rate children” in Chinese families.

With the precision of a surgeon, the author shows how Li Chenghui becomes little more than a backdrop to his family, starting at the crossroads of the college entrance exams. His older brother's wedding becomes his execution ground, the matchmaking market becomes a set of scales, and his modest marriage becomes his starting point. Every detail asks the same question: when love is measured in bride-price sums, price tags on gifts, and unequal treatment in the kitchen, what remains of family affection?

This novel is a mirror held up to the dark side of traditional families, reflecting hierarchies no one speaks of and wounds no one acknowledges. It reminds us that some cracks begin with a piece of candy overlooked, and end in a collapse that cannot be undone. Anyone who has ever felt “unworthy” within their family will find their own reflection in this book.