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A review by sauvageloup
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
a highly compelling, complicated and vicious book that was mostly brilliant but fell slightly short
pros:
- I dont think I've ever read such an obviously unreliable narrator or such an asshole main character and i thoroughly found that a fascinating experience. June is a terrible human, truly, but she's also vulnerable, hurt, exquisitely lonely and very human. she has her attacks of guilt and genuinely feels for some people, like Mr Lee at the Chinese talk, and yet other times completely lacks and compassion or respect.
- kuang writes at the end how its loneliness that really fucks everyone up, and I think June really suffers from being in an echo chamber and violently rejecting anyone who says different as being an attack on her. She has her group chat just agreeing with her, until she does something even they cant excuse, and her publishers enable her behaviour and worsen it, by letting her bully candice, reject a sensitivity reader, alter her name and ruin the actual point of athena's narrative. June takes the first crucial step in her terrible decisions but its the publishers that nail her in her coffin.
- I liked how athena had her major flaws, but also how it was highlighted that even Own Voices can be criticised for not being "good enough" representation.
- I felt like the basic undercurrent was that you couldnt live on others approval. June wanted so desperately to be loved and adored that she did despicable things and made herself completely unhappy. athena had found a way to work the system, and she was messed up too, but her entire identity wasnt tied to public opinion like June's was.
- I liked the twists and turns, like I didnt guess it was Candice though all the signs were there, and how you had no idea where that encounter was going to go. but much of it also felt inevitable, like watching a tragedy because June got greedy and stole more so it had to all be exposed.
- I also liked how all the side characters came in, and were given roles and personalities and voices that influenced the narrative, like Daniella, Rory, June's mother, athena's mother, Geoff, candice, etc. they all threaded in and out in what seemed a very natural way.
cons:
- I did feel the book sagged a little in the middle. the pacing slipped a bit at times in the middle of June's ramblings and it didnt hit as punchily as the start and finish.
- also did feel that the ending was quite a change of tone or pacing, and felt somewhat rushed, though it was gripping to see how utterly June had lost herself (though I did wonder whether that had pushed her evil evilness beyond plausible belief.)
so overall, an impressive, and thought provoking read which was only slightly off on some pacing, I thought
pros:
- I dont think I've ever read such an obviously unreliable narrator or such an asshole main character and i thoroughly found that a fascinating experience. June is a terrible human, truly, but she's also vulnerable, hurt, exquisitely lonely and very human. she has her attacks of guilt and genuinely feels for some people, like Mr Lee at the Chinese talk, and yet other times completely lacks and compassion or respect.
- kuang writes at the end how its loneliness that really fucks everyone up, and I think June really suffers from being in an echo chamber and violently rejecting anyone who says different as being an attack on her. She has her group chat just agreeing with her, until she does something even they cant excuse, and her publishers enable her behaviour and worsen it, by letting her bully candice, reject a sensitivity reader, alter her name and ruin the actual point of athena's narrative. June takes the first crucial step in her terrible decisions but its the publishers that nail her in her coffin.
- I liked how athena had her major flaws, but also how it was highlighted that even Own Voices can be criticised for not being "good enough" representation.
- I felt like the basic undercurrent was that you couldnt live on others approval. June wanted so desperately to be loved and adored that she did despicable things and made herself completely unhappy. athena had found a way to work the system, and she was messed up too, but her entire identity wasnt tied to public opinion like June's was.
- I liked the twists and turns,
- I also liked how all the side characters came in, and were given roles and personalities and voices that influenced the narrative, like Daniella, Rory, June's mother, athena's mother, Geoff, candice, etc. they all threaded in and out in what seemed a very natural way.
cons:
- I did feel the book sagged a little in the middle. the pacing slipped a bit at times in the middle of June's ramblings and it didnt hit as punchily as the start and finish.
- also did feel that the ending was quite a change of tone or pacing, and felt somewhat rushed, though it was gripping to see how utterly June had lost herself (though I did wonder whether that had pushed her evil evilness beyond plausible belief.)
so overall, an impressive, and thought provoking read which was only slightly off on some pacing, I thought
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts