paperbacks4ever 's review for:

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

4.5

challenging dark informative tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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U n h i n g e d. And i loved it. This book is for people that are pretty familiar with book world and I ate it upppp!

With a title like "yellowface" you have to expect this book to pack a punch, and it absolutely did. Kuang's writing is witty and addicting. I couldn't keep count of the amount of times my mouth went

The commentary on the publishing industry and its systemic racism is satisfyingly scathing in both Kuang's directness and also in her refusal to answer every societal question she poses. She challenges our notions of authenticity and identity in a world where the narrative can always be spun a myriad of ways by each player in this story. We're forced to confront our own ideas around storytelling, our own biases and assumptions, all through the lens of the most unreliable narrator — a white woman who steals a dead Asian woman's manuscript to make it as an author (is she a sociopath? just a white woman? both? lol). Kuang brilliantly constructs a layered narrative where every character plays a part in the complete clusterfuck of racism, white supremacy, deception, paranoia, exploitation, cancel culture, social media outrage - I could go on. The way the ending is so open-ended emphasizes this vicious cycle that Kuang weaves through the whole novel, and we're left with the conclusion that it will only just continue. I love that we don't get to see a "hero" emerge triumphant because I think that's the whole point.

 Reading this via audio was incredible because it felt like I was listening to a podcast or someone reading their journal aloud, and I just needed to know more. The narrator did an amazing job! I can't wait to read more of Rebecca's work, especially Babel!