A review by pantslint
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

4.5

I'm a sucker for books with unreliable narrators and unlikable protagonists, and Yellowface is a fun combination of both. I think June's characterization was done well—this bitch is capital-R Racist—though sometimes I felt that Kuang made her likability (or lack thereof) so obvious to readers.

Like, June felt so cartoonishly racist at times and I couldn't do anything but just laugh at how much of a hater she is. I mean, c'mon.
Justifying her plagiarism as "reparations" (Ch. 3)? Her rant about how the Chinese characters all have the same last names (Ch. 4)? The "heartwarming illustration of Chinese virtue and honesty" narrative she inserts, about the Chinese laborers gifting money to a poor French family (Ch. 4)? Being surprised at every Asian person's "good English?" Describing Chinese food as "pungent" over and over again?
There's so much more; I feel like I'm writing out Luther's 95 Theses at this point.

I'm sure Kuang writes June so obviously gross because white readers have feel like they're separate from her June, right? This text is so meta. I wonder what kind of things Kuang had to concede and exaggerate to get something like this published.

I have thoughts on Athena too... though I think I'll explore it another time.
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