A review by tinstae
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

dark informative reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book. The battle between Juniper knowing she was doing something wrong versus her own self-interests was compelling, and I found myself smiling every time Kuang cleverly interwove Juniper's microaggressions into the prose.

It's a descent into self-interested madness and delusion and how one cannot come back from it; how one continues to feed into the viscious cycle even when they know they are beaten and finished, convinced that they are always the victim, and grappling for sympathy where there is none. I found myself struggling to root for any one character in the book, and perhaps that's what made it so loveable. Everyone is working for only themselves, sacrificing their own principles and values in the gruesome fight for success in a brutal industry.

This was my first reading of Kuang's work and it is safe to say that I am now very much looking forward to reading Babel.
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