Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

43 reviews

thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

dark funny reflective 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

4.5

Um, this book??? IS SO CRAZY. This story takes “delulu girly” to the most insane level. GIRLY!! IS!! DELULU!!

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.  

---

Content Warnings

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

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

I thought this book was okay. The narrator was not likable at all and I think that was the point. The main character was unspeakable in her racism, bigotry, and entitlement. It opened my eyes to a lot and I think the main idea that the author was trying to get across was crystal clear. I think after a while, I was just so tired of the main character that the book wasn’t enjoyable anymore, but I think it highlights real life. Some people are like her, and it is monstrous. 

---

Content Warnings

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

rashaloves2read's review against another edition

funny reflective 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

torturedreadersdept's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

obfuscatress's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

As a reader and writer of colour, I found this to be a most pleasant mindfuck. This author has done such a resplendent job of making the first person narrator (and main character) so deeply unlikeable, that I wanted to put this book down several times and give it a one-star review simply because of how disgusted I was by the narrator. The themes only really come alive through the reader's understanding of the context that lies beyond the fourth wall e.g. the dismal statistics of diversity in publishing in the "real" world and scandals like the one currently surrounding Cait Corrain. If you're a reader or writer with insight into this world, it'll be a delightful read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Death of parent, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

Minor: Suicide and Murder

glassflowrr's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective 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

I love that Kuang pulls no punches in her writing and this felt like an escalation of that trait. Her characters are over-the-top but feel grounded in what's most likely real experiences the author has had in the industry. June oscillates wildly between gut-wrenching guilt and extreme narcissism in a very compelling way. I finished the book in one day. 

This book does suffer from Kuang's typical pacing issues in the third act and leaves some threads a bit under developed, but overall a strong read and highly recommended if you already like this author. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Racism, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Murder, Medical content, Sexual content, and Stalking

zadsavage's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Grief, Classism, Murder, Sexual content, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Racism, Blood, Islamophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

r_kennedy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Stalking, Racism, and Racial slurs

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

5.0

This knocked my fucking socks off. Yellowface is as funny as it is horrific with a "protagonist" at the center who is truly foul in every sense. As awful as June Hayward is, her perspective never becomes tiring or less baffling to read. R.F. Kuang is so brilliant to have brought something like this to the table and I can't wait to make everyone in my life who hasn't read it yet move it to the top of their lists.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, War, Alcohol, Colonisation, Stalking, Rape, Xenophobia, Vomit, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Child death, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual content

Minor: Murder, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

jayden_314's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

5.0

This book was an incredible read! Rebecca F. Kuang perfectly writes such a hateable main character, and by hateable I mean that this insane white woman goes off the rails by the end. Kuang gets you to sympathise with her for a chapter or two before throwing right back in your face that June is completely unhinged. This way of writing is so similar to emotional abuse and gaslighting in real life and the quality is unmatched. You get to see the way that June justifies her actions and how she positions herself as the victim. I have not read anything like it and it was amazing. If you are reading this novel, be prepared to be gaslit out of your mind and just remember, June is a psychotic racist who will go to any lengths to cover up her plagarism. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Murder, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and War