Reviews

I was browsing one of my local bookstores and just chanced upon this book, and immediately from the cover I knew I wanted to read it. Always awesome to find books from Australian authors, especially Asian Australian authors (as an Asian Australian myself).

I have mixed feelings about this novel. The format was interesting for sure. Never quite read anything like this before (I feel like it might have worked better for me hearing it in an audiobook format instead?), so it took me a little bit to fully get into, but it was a fun ride. The comedy aspect was a little hit or miss for me? I know it was kind of supposed to be over-the-top ridiculous a little since it was satirising the Hollywood experience for Asians, but sometimes it felt a little gimmicky for me. I liked it at the start, but I felt that the premise was a little too overlong.

That being said, I actually found the parts about the history of Asian (specifically Chinese) cinema in both the Eastern and Western worlds really interesting. It actually sort of made me wish that the whole book had been focused on this because there was so much I learnt about Chinese cinema that I had no idea about. I obviously knew about whitewashing, but it's so, so prevalent...and sadly STILL happens too often in the film industry, which is pretty disheartening. Representation and diversity is so important for minorities in industries like this, so to take away even MORE opportunities that could be given to Asians is so infuriating.

I ended up googling a lot about the various films and actors mentioned in this (once I had separated them from the fictional aspects of the novel), and it's really made me want to explore more about the subject in more depth, so I definitely appreciate the book for that.

Overall, it was enjoyable read that I found really informative.

3/5

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adventurous funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.5

Rambunctious and subversive, THE WHITEWASH is a very imaginative — and very funny! — chronicle of the Asian identity within our Hollywood film industry.

Styled in the form of a documentary transcript, there’s a lot of larger-than-life characters in this one; from self-absorbed actors and smug producers to shifty online journalists and assorted film crew, even a sad ex-girlfriend here and there. Loosely, it’s a fictional account of the making of Brood Empire, a grand Hollywood spy thriller starring, for the first time in history, an Asian male lead. It’s set to be explosive. Genre-defining. But instead, it’s really the start of Brood Empire’s epic demise.

Interspersed through this main storyline is a factual account of Asian representation in film and TV. And it’s a tumultuous journey. The way in which the Asian character has been historically stereotyped as firstly the villain, then the self-deprecating, subservient or sexless side character. The continual whitewashing of the Asian identity. The cultural appropriation of eastern martial arts by white actors like Jean Claude van Damme. Behind the scenes examples of pay discrimination with prominent script writers and actors. China’s growing influence on cultural censorship. Wow, there was a lot I wasn’t aware of. I’m by no means a film buff, but I found all of it entirely fascinating.

THE WHITEWASH may sound overtly critical, but it’s far from it. Instead, it plays on just how farcical this form of institutionalised racism really is. What’s clever about this book is that it uses these real-world examples, conflates them in the fictional Brood Empire production storyline, resulting in an absurd, tongue-in-cheek, satirical parody. It’s full of playful wit, banter, ego clashes, just all-round clever humour that’s insightful and also gave me a bad case of the chuckles. I just could not stop myself laughing in some places!

This was a very unique take on blending fiction with history — and I very much enjoyed the ride!

💌 UQP

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