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notsopithypriya 's review for:
Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, this was an entertaining and thought provoking take on the publishing industry, racism, community, Twittersphere (pre-X, not as applicable to other social media commentary), and theft of IP (pre-Meta/llama/copyright, yet generally applicable).
June is a hot mess I rooted against, by and large, but she has moments of depth and talent. As our unreliable narrator, she tends to make caricatures of most of the other characters that make up the rest of the story — her observations leave the kind of gaps that let you as a reader project what you expect the balance of the cast to be (much moreso than in books with a different POV, at least).
I'd have loved to give this 5 stars — it's almost as poignant as the ones I have rated similarly in the past — but the unreliable narrator (more antagonist) threw me off a bit, some of the commentary (and everything Twitter/X) is a little too on the nose and/or specific to this generation, and I'd need to be choosier about who I recommend this to.
June is a hot mess I rooted against, by and large, but she has moments of depth and talent. As our unreliable narrator, she tends to make caricatures of most of the other characters that make up the rest of the story — her observations leave the kind of gaps that let you as a reader project what you expect the balance of the cast to be (much moreso than in books with a different POV, at least).
I'd have loved to give this 5 stars — it's almost as poignant as the ones I have rated similarly in the past — but the unreliable narrator (more antagonist) threw me off a bit, some of the commentary (and everything Twitter/X) is a little too on the nose and/or specific to this generation, and I'd need to be choosier about who I recommend this to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Cultural appropriation
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol