A review by melmarian
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging emotional informative 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

3.75

When her supposedly best friend and bestseller author Athena Liu suddenly dies, the 'mediocre' June Hayward committed Grand Theft Libro; stealing Athena's raw & unfinished manuscript then publishing it as her own; rebranding herself with a racially ambiguous penname: Juniper Song. But the manuscript of The Last Front was such a rough first draft that June would work hard to make it a marketable, finished book. That's why she claimed The Last Front is her own work as much as Athena's, only that people don't know that Athena was the original writer. After a long editorial process, at long last, June found success as a writer and was celebrated and admired, pretty much in the same way Athena once was. But theft always has a price, even if June didn't 'fully' steal the manuscript. June started seeing Athena's ghost. You'd think that she'd stop and admit the truth, but alas, if she did, we won't have such a twisting and interesting story.

 

Yellowface is quite self-explanatory; it contains a lot of critique to modern publishing world, and a slight part of psychological thriller. We as common readers are shown the long process of making a book; we are shown how writers would shed blood, sweat, and tears to achieve the goal of getting their book published. This is the first R.F. Kuang book I've read, and I feel that this book isn't her peak. I have no interest in The Poppy War Trilogy (so far), but I'd definitely read Babel.

Read for #TBBTBmelmarian2024
Borrowed from @multiverse.library