A review by ktc8
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

5.0

theres not a book rf kuang could write that i wouldnt read. this one felt like a companion piece to like. her. i dont think you can get this book as much if you havent already read her others. its a story that sounds like kuang's voice through a split screen perspective, her experiences and beliefs about the publishing world and modern social media culture in a scathing review, but through the perspective of the perpetrators. whoever said it felt like a series of ideas and concepts rather than a story might be onto something, it felt something like a stream of consciousness tale that was really simple to read despite its difficult concepts. but i also think focusing on her writing is like. the easy thing to do in a meta-esque story where she is writing about authorship and esp reviewers which makes me feel weird typing this all out. but as with all of her books, there are MAJOR themes and concepts on racism, microaggressions (she writes these seemlessly into a story, their uneasiness and discomfort are such an mark of her storytelling), the comfort in which white supremacy operates in every aspect of society, etc. that it feels like an injustice to just focus on the writing style. clearly i have a lot of thoughts about this book and i really enjoyed (?) how uncomfortable it made me. if i could give it 4.5 stars on goodreads for the quick ending i think i would but its definitely one that ill be thinking about for a long time. and im STILL not over babel. or poppy war honestly this woman's writing just sticks in my brain. love her