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A review by aksmith92
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow R.F. Kuang, switch it up! Was this a thriller? Contemporary fiction? Literary fiction? I have no clue! But it was not fantasy, that I do know. I recently read Kuang's Babel and could not help but think a lot of this work in Yellowface was a response to maybe some of the 1-2 star reviews I saw on Goodreads about Babel. Who knows if that's true, but it felt like it.
In this novel, we follow the experiences and life of June Hayward - an aspiring author whose first work completely flopped. She was friends with the notoriously famous writer Athena Liu, who was MUCH more successful than June. That is until one day, Athena dies, and June steals her work to make "her own" famous novel, The Last Front. Yellowface is basically us readers following along with June's justification, excuses, and lack of remorse for stealing the work and becoming an "interesting" success story because of it.
Man, June was something else, and I have no doubt that's what Kuang wanted us to think. It was embarrassing to watch June go through this experience, as if she was a constant reminder of what NOT to do. This novel was dark satire at its finest - Kuang intended for us to cringe throughout while still sharing an unfortunate story that likely happens in some capacity way more than we think it does. Kuang tackles many themes: white supremacy, the complicated publishing industry, social media/media in general, particularly about success and books, and overall jealousy. While at times I felt like there was almost too much to follow and track, I think Kuang did a superb job at making this a completely phenomenal novel - you are supposed to feel uncomfortable! I thought it was quite brilliant, particularly considering the major theme of who should be the one(s) telling a story?
In this novel, we follow the experiences and life of June Hayward - an aspiring author whose first work completely flopped. She was friends with the notoriously famous writer Athena Liu, who was MUCH more successful than June. That is until one day, Athena dies, and June steals her work to make "her own" famous novel, The Last Front. Yellowface is basically us readers following along with June's justification, excuses, and lack of remorse for stealing the work and becoming an "interesting" success story because of it.
Man, June was something else, and I have no doubt that's what Kuang wanted us to think. It was embarrassing to watch June go through this experience, as if she was a constant reminder of what NOT to do. This novel was dark satire at its finest - Kuang intended for us to cringe throughout while still sharing an unfortunate story that likely happens in some capacity way more than we think it does. Kuang tackles many themes: white supremacy, the complicated publishing industry, social media/media in general, particularly about success and books, and overall jealousy. While at times I felt like there was almost too much to follow and track, I think Kuang did a superb job at making this a completely phenomenal novel - you are supposed to feel uncomfortable! I thought it was quite brilliant, particularly considering the major theme of who should be the one(s) telling a story?