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orangepoem 's review for:
Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
R.F. Kuang masterfully explores the psyche and perspective of a White authour, jilted by “inclusive” publishing politics, take the manuscript of her dead Chinese colleague and publish it at as her own.
What I appreciate most about this novel is it’s ability to subtly overturn June, the main character’s, internalized racism, self-victimization , and justifications for her actions. The book fully commits to its unlikeable main character and treats the readers with the respect of allowing them to see the world through the eyes of an innocuous white person who well-represents the qualms of many white creators and laypeople in the aftermath of 2010s “woke” politics. It’s perfectly realistic in the unfolding of June’s insidious worldviews that reflect the current feelings of many white individuals that feel their spots are “taken” by the advent of “diversity”, while critiquing what that appeal to “diversity” really looks like behind the scenes of publishing.
While reading more ludicrous than the first half of the novel,June’s descent into madness towards the end is a satisfying cherry on top though I wonder if an alternative ending that doesn’t give June her due punishment may have been while less sellable, more thematically impactful.
It’s a brilliant novel that I well enjoyed for the unlikable yet understandable main character.
What I appreciate most about this novel is it’s ability to subtly overturn June, the main character’s, internalized racism, self-victimization , and justifications for her actions. The book fully commits to its unlikeable main character and treats the readers with the respect of allowing them to see the world through the eyes of an innocuous white person who well-represents the qualms of many white creators and laypeople in the aftermath of 2010s “woke” politics. It’s perfectly realistic in the unfolding of June’s insidious worldviews that reflect the current feelings of many white individuals that feel their spots are “taken” by the advent of “diversity”, while critiquing what that appeal to “diversity” really looks like behind the scenes of publishing.
While reading more ludicrous than the first half of the novel,
It’s a brilliant novel that I well enjoyed for the unlikable yet understandable main character.