A review by lillypillygooseberry
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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

4.0

Really good read that's insightful into how the publishing industry works. the only thing that kinda disappoints me is that there's not much discussion on how class affects everything. also it seems to imply that athena had better writing in general which is why june got a book deal, but maybe later the book could have tried to make it clear that she just got lucky cause writing quality isn't that important either when it comes to making a bestseller. but I found it very tense, I love how throughout the book you feel an increasing sense of dread as people slowly figure out june's problem. and how we know she'll get into trouble but the first person narrative makes you feel complicit in june's actions so a part of you hopes that she'll somehow get away with this and maybe become a better person. I liked the ending too, june still doesn't know any better, but will it work out this time? or will this terrible cycle of rewriting an asian person's narrative continue. overall a very interesting read, deeply umcomfortable at times but also quite funny in the way that you want to scream "YOU IDIOT" whenever the main character does, well, anything really.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings