toni7tess 's review for:

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

2.5

dark funny tense medium-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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The writing is good, and the story is an important one. At times the dark humour was great even, especially with the pancakes. I just found the protagonists’s behaviour and inner monologues incredibly on the nose and unrealistic. I can see what the author was trying to do with it being a comedy, but I think I would have found a more serious book with a slightly less extreme story more powerful, rather than an unbelievable protagonist. It’s a satire on how extreme cultural appropriation can get, but the characters stopped feeling real in any way about halfway through. I would have enjoyed this well-crafted story much more in a slightly different genre.