A review by ed_moore
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

informative 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

3.75

“Writing gave me a reason to stay alive and as miserable as that makes me I will cling onto that magic for as long as I live” 

I absolutely flew through R.F. Kuang’s ‘Yellowface’. It was so different to ‘Babel’ in both topic and written style, other than overlapping themes of critiquing racism within industries, which I guess is a testament to Kuang’s range and ability as a writer. ‘Yellowface’ follows Juniper Hayward, a failing author, who plagiarises a manuscript about the Chinese Labour Front in WW1 written by her recently deceased bestseller friend Athena. As the book went on Juniper crossed the line more and more and you began to wonder how much lower she could possibly get in this charade to cover up her theft as the threads of her deception start to unravel. 

‘Yellowface’ exposes the toxic and crushing environment of the publishing industry and is very modern in its handling of it, discussing cancelling, booktok toxicity and the sacrifices authors have to make in order to maintain relevancy and succeed in the publishing world. It is honestly terrifying to read about from the perspective of someone who wants to get their foot into the industry some day. It also made satirical comments about unconscious biases regarding author perception which were extremely illuminating; one mentioned perceptions of Evelyn Waugh as a woman and I can’t pretend that isn’t a pitfall I had once presumed and fallen into. 

Though ‘Yellowface’ was extremely digestible and difficult to put down, I can’t help but feel like the prose wasn’t my exact cup of tea. It was very basic and trying to be relatable in a way, a style that I don’t recall being the case with ‘Babel’. Though a completely different genre and theme I feel to an extent Kunag’s ability to craft words should’ve carried through.