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A review by katsbooks
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic”
“Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges; it makes our world larger, not smaller.”
“The cultural constructions are clear: so many Chinese ghosts are hungry, angry, voiceless women. In taking Athena's legacy, I've added one to their ranks.”
I would like to start this review by saying that I don't often love books with unlikable or unreliable narrators. However... this is absolutely an exception to that rule. I picked this up for my monthly book club and I'm so glad we did. The premise is so compelling. A white author (June) and an Asian author (Athena) who went to college together and published their debuts around the same time are now "friends" in adulthood. One night, they grab drinks and go back to Athena's apartment where Athena chokes and dies in front of June. However, just before that, Athena had shown June her most recently finished manuscript that even her agent has yet to see. So, naturally, June steals the manuscript and passes it off as her own. What follows is a massive critique of the publishing industry all told from June's point of view.
June's entire character threw me for a loop because, while I knew I didn't like her, I also couldn't help but sympathize with her at many different points throughout the novel. Maybe it's because I'm also a white woman but I entirely understood how June came to some of the conclusions she did. That doesn't mean I agree with any of her choices. In fact, her character is entirely unlikeable and selfish. Kuang's writing perfectly encapsulated the cognitive dissonance white people can have when it comes to race issues and white supremacy in spaces like publishing (or anywhere really). This entire book made me intensely uncomfortable because I felt like Kuang called out every biased thought I've ever had out loud. I know that biases are natural and that what's important is how one responds to their biases when they crop up but being in June's head felt equal parts familiar and uncomfortable. I'm still just so mind-blown that Kuang was able to so easily make me feel both of those things simultaneously.
So suffice it to say that R.F. Kuang is an absolutely masterful writer. I have Babel on my shelf, as well as the first novel in the Poppy War trilogy. Based on what I experienced with Yellowface, I definitely have to try out more of her books.
“Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges; it makes our world larger, not smaller.”
“The cultural constructions are clear: so many Chinese ghosts are hungry, angry, voiceless women. In taking Athena's legacy, I've added one to their ranks.”
I would like to start this review by saying that I don't often love books with unlikable or unreliable narrators. However... this is absolutely an exception to that rule. I picked this up for my monthly book club and I'm so glad we did. The premise is so compelling. A white author (June) and an Asian author (Athena) who went to college together and published their debuts around the same time are now "friends" in adulthood. One night, they grab drinks and go back to Athena's apartment where Athena chokes and dies in front of June. However, just before that, Athena had shown June her most recently finished manuscript that even her agent has yet to see. So, naturally, June steals the manuscript and passes it off as her own. What follows is a massive critique of the publishing industry all told from June's point of view.
June's entire character threw me for a loop because, while I knew I didn't like her, I also couldn't help but sympathize with her at many different points throughout the novel. Maybe it's because I'm also a white woman but I entirely understood how June came to some of the conclusions she did. That doesn't mean I agree with any of her choices. In fact, her character is entirely unlikeable and selfish. Kuang's writing perfectly encapsulated the cognitive dissonance white people can have when it comes to race issues and white supremacy in spaces like publishing (or anywhere really). This entire book made me intensely uncomfortable because I felt like Kuang called out every biased thought I've ever had out loud. I know that biases are natural and that what's important is how one responds to their biases when they crop up but being in June's head felt equal parts familiar and uncomfortable. I'm still just so mind-blown that Kuang was able to so easily make me feel both of those things simultaneously.
So suffice it to say that R.F. Kuang is an absolutely masterful writer. I have Babel on my shelf, as well as the first novel in the Poppy War trilogy. Based on what I experienced with Yellowface, I definitely have to try out more of her books.