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thatswhatshanread's review
- 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
4.5
Although my review may be full of basic bookish rambling about the perpetual spiral of the so-called delulu in regards to the main character who is a writer, the writing in this book by the witty R. F. Kuang is so sharp, timely, and addictive that you certainly feel like you’re delulu too. (Okay I’ll stop using that word now.)
So this novel is basically a ridiculously well-written reddit thread of “AITA for stealing the manuscript of my dead Asian friend and passing it off as my own since I’m a woman, but I’m also very much a cishet white woman?”
GIRLLLLL. Kuang crafted such a punchy, visceral novel about race, loneliness, envy, and the pros and cons of the publishing industry. I was glued to every page, almost like watching a train wreck. It’s like, chapter after chapter, our white MC (June) goes deeper and deeper into her web of lies and you’re like “there’s no way she gets away with this” in a non-Scooby Doo villain kind of way, and then SHE DOES!! She just keeps at it!! The secondhand embarrassment and utter frustration was so real, especially in the way that could absolutely happen in real life, which is messed up but also shows the reality of diversity in today’s society—not always as advanced or progressive as we perceive it to be when it’s not directly related to us. This narrative was such an interesting piece on how far someone will go to save their reputation, when said reputation is a fabricated construct in and of itself. Fascinating.
Parts did remind me of “American Fiction”, which is another great example of the assumptions made about POC writers, just in a sort-of opposite form. In any case, I highly recommend both.
TL;DR June Hayward is kind-of the Hannah Horvath of this story, but somehow even worse. If you liked HBO’s “Girls” for the writing and not for the characters, this book is for you.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Hate crime
Minor: Alcohol, Self harm, Death of parent, Abandonment, Murder, and Suicide
sierrabowers's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Racism, Classism, Death, Toxic friendship, Murder, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, Stalking, Bullying, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
litliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, Body horror, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Death, Racism, Sexism, Cursing, Grief, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Colonisation, Genocide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Bullying, and Homophobia
jakepasseri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Stalking, Hate crime, and Abandonment
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, Rape, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation
norwegianforestreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and War
kcarney86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, and Stalking
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Abandonment, Abortion, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and War
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I think I read an interview somewhere, where Kuang talked about her inspiration for Yellowface. and how part of it came about because she was worried she was like June, stealing something she wasn't meant to have. As I read the book, I saw Kuang's anxieties reflected in both Athena and June's characters. With Athena, it's easy to see how she might relate to the sudden push into stardom at a young age, as well as being tokenized for her identity as a Chinese American. While June may represent Kuang's imposter syndrome, of feeling like a fake as she gains all this attention for her work while other Asian American authors perhaps struggle to gain recognition. This novel is definitely the most personal of hers out of what I've read.
As for the meat of the book, I cannot believe how well the characters were done. Especially June and Athena. June is fantastic as a villain protagonist and Kuang does a great job at lulling the reader into feeling sympathy for her even as the next sentence will make you revile her. So much of this book really felt inspiring as a writer, because there is so much that you imagine could've happened, instead of what did happen. As the reader, I constantly was questioning June's choices and thoughts, why did she do what she did? Why does she feel the need to continue this lie? June's character really makes you question the world around you and your own feelings and choices. What is your own personal motivation for the things that you do and say?
As for Athena, I was wondering so much who Athena was behind the person that June thought she was. All we get is a little bit of her in the beginning, from June's perspective of course, but the rest of her is pieced together from all the other characters in this world. I really enjoyed though, how neither character was perfect. Theoretically, Athena was the hero to June's villain, but Athena wasn't a perfect human being. She had flaws, she made mistakes. How much of her flaws were real and not just formed from people who didn't really know her, who knows? But Athena was human like the rest of us and it was amazing how Kuang could shape a character that only technically existed in the first act.
I will say, as much as I loved this book, I will not be giving it 5 stars. I can't really articulate why. Perhaps I just wasn't that satisfied with the ending, or a few of the more modern references were awkward and didn't fit the way Kuang thought they would. It's still a fantastic book, don't get me wrong. I think a lot of people should read it, even if they know nothing about publishing. It just isn't a 5-star for me. In any case, this review is getting too long so please, check out this book! Especially if you may not have liked Kuang's books in the past, this may finally be the book for you. I am definitely interested in what Kuang will explore in her next book!
Graphic: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Death, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Bullying, Grief, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Classism, Stalking, War, Death of parent, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit
Minor: Suicide and Abandonment
There is a Major Knives Out spoiler on page 186 in the middle of the last paragraph, just so others know!kshertz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Grief, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, and Racism
marioosa517's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Mental illness, Death, Xenophobia, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Vomit, Alcohol, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, War, Racial slurs, Blood, and Drug use