Copyright © 2019 by Esmé Weijun Wang
The author and Graywolf Press have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify Graywolf Press at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.
Essays in this collection appeared originally in different form in the following publications:
“Toward a Pathology of the Possessed” in the Believer
“High-Functioning” in Buzzfeed Reader
“The Choice of Children” in Doll Hospital
“Reality, On-Screen” in the New Inquiry
“Perdition Days” in the Toast
“L’Appel du Vide” in Hazlitt
This publication is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation. Significant support has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Target, the McKnight Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, the Amazon Literary Partnership, and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. To these organizations and individuals we offer our heartfelt thanks.
Published by Graywolf Press
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Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-55597-827-3
Ebook ISBN 978-1-55597-876-1
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
First Graywolf Printing, 2019
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018947092
Cover design: Kimberly Glyder
Cover art: Shutterstock