5 estrelas são, por vezes, uma classificação ambígua. Ou, pelo menos, um pouco mais complicada do que parecem à primeira vista. Yellowface de R. F. Kuang é um exemplo disso.

Kuang procura desafiar-se: poderia ter escolhido qualquer outra personagem para protagonista, mas optou por aquela que talvez mais diretamente se opõe ao seu próprio lugar de fala. Isto adiciona uma camada extra a tópicos como questões de autoria branca/minoritária na indústria editorial. Soluções a curto-prazo como o estabelecimento de “quotas minoritárias” para a quantidade de publicações dentro de uma editora, por um lado, dão origem à noção de que “já temos um autor asiático/negro/minoritário nesta temporada e, portanto, não podemos aceitar mais". E depois o inverso: as vozes brancas perdem a sua relevância e aceitação. Ambas as faces desta moeda cada vez mais complexa são exploradas através da perspetiva de June – uma mulher branca que faz o inimaginável: rouba a história de uma autora asiático-americana na noite da morte desta última.

A relação entre as duas mulheres – June e Athena – é uma obra-prima no desenvolvimento de personagens matizadas. Pode-se dizer que se trata apenas de ódio, ou que June é motivada pela inveja, o que é verdade, mas a relação deles é uma discussão sobre como a difícil atualidade da indústria livreira. Yellowface enfatiza o processo de edição e marketing – considerado por June como a verdadeira força motriz por trás do sucesso de um livro. A parte da tradução também é mencionada, apenas brevemente provavelmente porque fora já o foco de Babel.

É um livro controverso, para dizer o mínimo. A história constitui uma crítica pungente à indústria literária na sua forma atual. Em vez de se esquivar de problemas como elitismo, colorismo e minorias, aborda essas questões com a severidade que elas exigem, olhando as de frente e explorando o seu significado e consequências. É um excelente livro, não devido à forma como revela os pontos de contenção e os procedimentos dentro da indústria em questão, mas também porque Kuang consegue soltar pedaços da história e do folclore chineses aqui e ali, desenhando mais uma camada de significado em uma história já de si plena de ponderações.

-"-"-

[EN:]

Sometimes 5-star reviews are misleading. Or at least a bit more finicky than they may seem at first sight. R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface is a case in point.

Kuang seeks to challenge herself: she could have chosen any other character as a protagonist, but she went with the one that, arguably, most directly opposes her own stance. This adds an extra layer to topics such as questions of white/minority authorship in the publishing industry. Short-sided solutions like the establishment of “minority quotes” for publishing amount which, on one side, give rise to the notion of “we already have an Asian/Black/minority author this season and therefore cannot accept any more.” And then the reverse: white voices losing their relevance and acceptance. Both faces of this increasingly complex coin are explored through June’s perspective – a white woman who does the unimaginable: she steals an Asian-American’s story on the night of the latter’s death.

The relationship between the two women – June and Athena – is a masterpiece in nuanced character development. You can say it is mostly hate-based, or driven by envy, which is true, but their relationship is an ongoing discussion on how broken the book industry is nowadays. Yellowface emphasizes the process of editing and marketing – regarded by June as the true driving force behind a book’s success. The translation bit is mentioned as well, only briefly probably because it was Babel’s focus.

It is controversial, to say the least. The story constitutes a poignant critique of the literary industry in its current form. Instead of shying away from matters like elitism, colorism, and minorities, it addresses these issues with the severity they demand, taking them head-on and then exploring their meaning and consequences. I enjoyed it not just because of the industry’s insights and food-for-thought points, but also because Kuang managed to drop bits of Chinese history and folklore here and there, drawing yet another layer of meaning on an already thoughtful story.

Content Warnings

vee3105's review

Go to review page

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

imperaitrice's review

Go to review page

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

rieriereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic. Writing is creating something out of nothing, is opening doors to other lands. Writing gives you power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much.

This is my first R.F. Kuang book, and I really get why she is hyped, beloved, and famous.

Yellowface was, overall, a good read. It started off strong and fast-paced. From the start, you can see June's characteristics, and I love how she was both unreliable and unlikable. Most of the characters were.

From the first pages, it sucks you in so easily. It's a satire of the publishing industry and companies. And it includes so many themes, such as xenophobia, cancel culture, racism, white and pretty privilege, and more.

What I loved the most was June's personality and thoughts. I loved how she fought and tried to show us through her thoughts the "good" part of what she did. It makes us readers cringe, maybe be gaslighted, yet also feel included more, if you get what I mean. I see that how she defended herself was a very human thing to do. Something, not all but most likely, some of us will do when we are in a similar situation.

I also loved reading about her anxious thoughts and her point of view on how she struggled, rose to fame, was hated, and much more. There was no hero in this story; everyone was a villain and a victim in their own way.

I am on 50-50 of how it ended, though. If it continued, I knew the book would be longer and go on like an unending circle. Overall, I liked the story, and I would definitely recommend it, especially to those who are curious to try this and love an unlikable character.

I can't wait to read more of Kuang's work. I have a bright feeling that she'll be one of my favorite authors.

📚 | 46
⭐ | 4
•••

My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf

Content Warnings

shainalite's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I always adore R.F. Kuang's writing since it grabs my attention from the start until the end and it keeps me awake. This book doesn't have loveable characters yet I wanted to know what happened to them and just enjoy the words she crafted to be presented here.
Yellowface spoke the reality especially what happens online when there's a hot controversial news nobody knows the truth yet. This book is here to remind you that nobody is 100% saint nor 100% devil, there's always complicated stories and behaviors everyone bears. There's always the "side effect" of every decision we make as an individual or collective. When we have decided this A is the best for the majority of us, there'll be some people feeling left out. The story in this book about writing and publishing world told from a perspective of June/Juniper touches many sensitive topics. The way it's told is putting the readers above the story to witness what will unfold next. However one part of this book sent a chill up my spine as if I was there with the main character.

Content Warnings

More...