Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

122 reviews

boba_n_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Do you want to hate every main character (except Mrs. Liu) and question what's morally right and wrong? Read Yellowface. This satirical take on the publishing industry is every bit as fantastic as you've heard. R.F. Kuang uses a largely unlikable first-person narrative to question diversity, racism, cultural appropriation, and society at large.

June Hayward and Athena Liu have been "friends" since undergrad and have bonded over their writing aspirations ever since. However, Athena has been wildly successful, and June has... not. When June watches Athena die in a freak accident, she does what any self-preserving author would do: steal Athena's unpublished manuscript, of course. No one has seen this masterpiece yet, so June decides to do the kind thing and make sure Athena's experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I is published... but June says that she is the one who wrote it. Without any outside assistance. She even lets her team market her as "Juniper Song," which does end up confusing some people when it turns out that June is white. All of this leads to the largest rollercoaster of June's life where she experiences the highest highs and the lowest lows.

There were times I laughed at June's ignorance and others where I cringed where she used her privilege to act as a victim--especially when she starts to become alienated on social media. The book hosts such a complex narrative that it will leave you questioning your own allegiances. 

As a white person, I felt as though this novel helped touch on important topics that need to be discussed. How far is too far? Where do we draw the line? How do we live in a morally gray world that years to place us in black and white? One of the biggest questions I took away from Yellowface is: who is able to tell what stories? Is it right for a white person to write about the experiences of people of color? Is that really their story to tell?

Read this book. If you've been even slightly interested by it, just read it. It's well worth your time to explore the nuance beyond these important topics. I tip my hat to you, Ms. Kuang, for the masterpiece you have created.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent, War, and Suicide

melniksuzuki's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Death, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual assault

Minor: Xenophobia, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Islamophobia, and War

kellyofcali's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

This was an easy read and a pretty good story - kept me turning the pages! It also had good messaging about race and art, though occasionally got a bit heavy-handed on that front to drive the point home. Felt a little shark-jumpy towards the end, but overall I enjoyed the read and appreciated the conversations it wanted to start.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Death of parent, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

evehowell's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

curious_oyster's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Suicide

esv_'s review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Xenophobia, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Colonisation, Gaslighting, Classism, and Racism

Minor: Suicide, Racial slurs, and Slavery

lindsaybethlyons's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.0

Wonderfully written. Compelling plot. I struggle with books in which I don’t like the main character though. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Bullying, and Racism

Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Suicide, and Violence

javanaaa's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide

winterwoodbooks's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Violence, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism

idk_indigo's review

dark 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

4.75

Well I'll be damned, this book was insane. I feel like June's absolute downward spiral was so much fun to hear about, I was like, "Damn, I wonder what this bitch is gonna do next..." and truth be told, the chaos never once disappointed. I also loved the 1st-person internal monologue, how we see June try to justify every single one of each terrible, ill-rooted decision she makes. From the start of the whole mess (stealing her frenemy's manuscript) to literally everything else (including stealing a second manuscript, bullying a high school student, contemplating murder, and briefly considering arson, among other things), she just tries so hard to make herself the victim. And she even considers doing the right thing (eg., coming clean, not bullying a high school student) and every single time she's like "Hmmm, actually no, I'm going to be a menace." I ate it up.

She's such an unlikeable person & an unreliable narrator because she just never once stops assuming what other people are thinking (and it is always, always about her). Self-centered jester vibes (no slay queen girly pop for Ms. Juniper). Which I think is something all of us struggle with, and on a more intrapersonal level says a lot about how we are far more likely to react disastrously when we assume negative intent. Like, maybe June needs to remind herself that, shocking as it may be, other people are not actually thinking about her constantly? Idk, might be a little far-fetched but... 

I also loved the audiobook narrator for this; she was amazing and I think she did such a perfect job of narrating a non-self-actualized villain. Slay! Even more loved because homegirl June was so morally grey but there wasn't anything she did that was like any good at all, so like probably would've been a villain if we hadn't seen her internal narrative. 

And the insider perspective RFK has about the publishing industry, etc. lent such a great world of knowledge towards the book & Athena/June's relationship. It was also so far removed towards any of her other works (of which I've only read Babel, but would be excited to dive into The Poppy Wars) that like...omg... the talent this woman has. 
 
Not quite 5 stars because of Candice's

villainous monologue thing towards the end

cause like idk shut up... but overall I really enjoyed the book! Very fast-paced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Death

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

Minor: Suicide

The CW for rape/sexual assault: was off-page, more aftermath than height.