Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

1324 reviews

abbysingh's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Racism, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship

Minor: Violence, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Colonisation, War

gandalf_a's review

3.75

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism

storydevgrace's review against another edition

4.75

dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Watching the protagonist dig herself into a deeper hole at every turn was hard to follow, but I did so with morbid and rapt attention. Perhaps it's because I see a version of myself in her that I slapped down at eighteen and have kept firmly in check for over a decade. Is there a shitty Juniper Song in me? Is she in all white women? What a dark thought.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Minor: Incest, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Death of parent, War

luisagerdsmeyer's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

nad_books623's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

---

All the characters were insufferable tbh but I think that was the point?? The book is an interesting comment on social media, how fame can change people, race, and privilege. The story was well written but there is something missing and I don’t think I would read it again. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual assault

pantslint's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

I'm a sucker for books with unreliable narrators and unlikable protagonists, and Yellowface is a fun combination of both. I think June's characterization was done well—this bitch is capital-R Racist—though sometimes I felt that Kuang made her likability (or lack thereof) so obvious to readers.

Like, June felt so cartoonishly racist at times and I couldn't do anything but just laugh at how much of a hater she is. I mean, c'mon.

Justifying her plagiarism as "reparations" (Ch. 3)? Her rant about how the Chinese characters all have the same last names (Ch. 4)? The "heartwarming illustration of Chinese virtue and honesty" narrative she inserts, about the Chinese laborers gifting money to a poor French family (Ch. 4)? Being surprised at every Asian person's "good English?" Describing Chinese food as "pungent" over and over again?

There's so much more; I feel like I'm writing out Luther's 95 Theses at this point.

I'm sure Kuang writes June so obviously gross because white readers have feel like they're separate from her June, right? This text is so meta. I wonder what kind of things Kuang had to concede and exaggerate to get something like this published.

I have thoughts on Athena too... though I think I'll explore it another time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

jenniferbowman's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Stalking, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Ableism, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

ellisinthetardis's review against another edition

4.5

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

i’d be hard pressed to name a book that’s had me quite by the balls as yellowface did. if you’re looking for amounts of drama that could kill a victorian child, this one’s for you. also, I’d really recommend this book to anyone looking to reignite a love of reading- kuang’s prose and pacing are so methodical that it’s a fucking struggle to put this thing down. it asks some really important questions which i cannot begin to get into here, but it’s so interesting to read a book about the publishing industry- it makes you think, “THAT’S what had to happen before this book got to me? jesus…” would recommend and will defo be reading more kuang in the future!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts

mammajamma's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

lightscamerazaction's review against another edition

4.0

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship