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splitdice 's review for:
Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
man.. to say this book was a disappointment would be an understatement.
i think there is some merit to this book, especially if you are reading it from the perspective of someone who is white and terminally online. as someone who is latine and indigenous, however, i just feel like this book was just 300 pages of saying... nothing. its 2024, and i feel like we have had discussions like this that have gone much more in depth about the topic at hand.
if this book had been a short story, i think it would have been much more effective. the characters only serve a purpose of being caricatures/tropes to tell the overlying message. i actually don't think it is a flaw to write characters this way, but the message it tells needs to be complex enough to hold a story like this long enough for 300 pages. instead, i just feel like kuang got the low hanging fruit of "white woman who is liberal still has crazy microaggressions!1!1" which.. yeah. but after 50 pages of the same thing over and over again, i honestly considered DNF-ing because I really did not see the point of continuing that same discussion.
and honestly, its really disappointing. im also an underrepresented academic who aims high and i want to impress, and i fear being misunderstood, which i think is very similar to kuang. but writing a novel at this length to say nothing feels disappointing. much like kuang, despite being underrepresented, i also have privilege that has helped me become as successful as i am in my academic career. and i will be the first to say how that has helped me. however, these were just jealous remarks from the ultra racist white character saying how she needs reparations from kuang's self insert b/c she was poor and kuang was rich. but there is a discussion to be had about intersectionality. i am writing this review in the month of june, where last month was AAPI month. most of those lists consisted of korean, chinese, and japanese authors. asia is a huge continent, but those authors are always heavily focused on. i dont think i even saw lists that included pacific islanders. and again, i think kuang is a great writer despite some flaws, but she is only 28 as of writing this review. and shes good! but the dismissal of very valid critiques of her books- such as the problem of indigenous representation in the poppy war trilogy- feels very double sided.
i think there is some merit to this book, especially if you are reading it from the perspective of someone who is white and terminally online. as someone who is latine and indigenous, however, i just feel like this book was just 300 pages of saying... nothing. its 2024, and i feel like we have had discussions like this that have gone much more in depth about the topic at hand.
if this book had been a short story, i think it would have been much more effective. the characters only serve a purpose of being caricatures/tropes to tell the overlying message. i actually don't think it is a flaw to write characters this way, but the message it tells needs to be complex enough to hold a story like this long enough for 300 pages. instead, i just feel like kuang got the low hanging fruit of "white woman who is liberal still has crazy microaggressions!1!1" which.. yeah. but after 50 pages of the same thing over and over again, i honestly considered DNF-ing because I really did not see the point of continuing that same discussion.
and honestly, its really disappointing. im also an underrepresented academic who aims high and i want to impress, and i fear being misunderstood, which i think is very similar to kuang. but writing a novel at this length to say nothing feels disappointing. much like kuang, despite being underrepresented, i also have privilege that has helped me become as successful as i am in my academic career. and i will be the first to say how that has helped me. however, these were just jealous remarks from the ultra racist white character saying how she needs reparations from kuang's self insert b/c she was poor and kuang was rich. but there is a discussion to be had about intersectionality. i am writing this review in the month of june, where last month was AAPI month. most of those lists consisted of korean, chinese, and japanese authors. asia is a huge continent, but those authors are always heavily focused on. i dont think i even saw lists that included pacific islanders. and again, i think kuang is a great writer despite some flaws, but she is only 28 as of writing this review. and shes good! but the dismissal of very valid critiques of her books- such as the problem of indigenous representation in the poppy war trilogy- feels very double sided.
i also think kuang needs more practice in contemporary writing. the overuse of social media, pop cultural references, and famous actors already makes this book feel aged just a year after publication. the parts where kuang was trying to be snarky and funny about the mc was just... meh. i honestly feel like this book will look like a sore spot in kuang's bibliography, which again could have been fixed if this was a short story! i feel like this is by far her weakest work, though i do enjoy how she pushed herself out of a historical, academic setting.
i do think the book has some merit to it, though. like i said, the message is good, even if over repeated and lacking complexity. i enjoyed the climax and ending even if it felt a little over the top, but its a satire so i think its fine within context.
i KNOW kuang can be better. i WANT her to be better. i think she should explore more complex themes and trust her audience more. this book could have been taken in so many directions but i feel like i wasted my time being lectured to about something i have already experienced throughout my life.