A review by mysticpagemage
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

4.5

I wasn't totally sure how I felt about the book due to the nature of it. However, parts of it felt like The Tell-Tale Heart. You get this heart-pounding adrenaline from trying to understand the main character's desires to be seen one way when really they are another. No, June did not commit murder but she has committed some pretty evil acts throughout the story. She has taken on an identity that is not hers and even when confronted continues to choose the path of ignorance. It is infuriating, but to a point that you can not look away or put the book down. The ending does seem a little rushed, but it also shows that even when pushed to a point of finally admitting wrongdoings, people will still try to manipulate events and narratives to fit their wants. It is an argument of human nature whether we as people can admit to ourselves and others our own flaws and transgressions. Or do we merely wish to tailor our individual stories in a way that makes us out to be easily empathized with? At the root of all humankind, we just want to belong, but at what cost or who's?