Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is a suspenseful novel that delves into the cutthroat world of the publishing industry. The story follows June Hayward, a struggling author who seizes an opportunity to steal her deceased friend Athena's unpublished manuscript and claim it as her own. As June's success grows, she is haunted by the shadows of her past actions and the consequences of her literary theft. The narrative explores themes of jealousy, friendship, cultural appropriation, and the negative impact of social media on an author's life. Kuang's writing style is described as compelling, witty, and fast-paced, keeping readers engaged as the plot unfolds with unexpected twists and turns.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include themes of cultural appropriation, plagiarism, racism, social media harassment, and mental health struggles, alongside the depiction of a character's manipulative and morally questionable actions.
From The Publisher:
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
"Hard to put down, harder to forget." - Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author
White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn't write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American-in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel.
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena's a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song-complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That's what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.
Ratings (105)
Incredible (13) | |
Loved It (44) | |
Liked It (20) | |
It Was OK (17) | |
Did Not Like (7) | |
Hated It (4) |
Reader Stats (194):
Read It (104) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (69) | |
Did Not Finish (5) | |
Not Interested (13) |
12 comment(s)
Hmph. RF Kuang. Not what I expected, definitely an engaging, DEEP think. This one is gonna stick with me.
4.5 ⭐️
There is an important discussion to be had on cultural appropriation and where the line should be drawn. I think Rebecca herself explained it well when she said that barring people from writing about topics because they are the "wrong race" becomes a slippery slope. However, June as a character shows that maybe not every white person should write about the experiences of minorities.
June is narcissistic, jealous, a little racist, and incredibly flawed. Yet, it is terrifying that I found her relatable in many ways. I can sympathize with her thought process and see how she backed herself further and further into a corner.
The saddest part is that she never learned her lesson and continued to play the victim, when it was a monster of her own creation.
I like that every character is equally as flawed as June. Athena isn't a "perfect token asian" character who was horribly ripped off.
She was an asshole who was too full of herself and hurt a lot of the people close to her. Not that she deserved what June did, but it makes the story less black and white.
I think this book is an exceptional study of guilt and grief and what it does to a person. Everyone is familiar with that ball of guilt in their stomach that can grow and fester. Rebecca in this novel explores what thats like when the guilt is immense and left to snowball.
June's spiral into madness at the end of this book is probably my favorite part. She is so racked with guilt that she is willing to do seances, burn IKEA magazines, and consider exorcisms because she can't live with what she's done. Her fight with Candice at the end is very dark and showcases how lies can grow and grow until they can't be contained. June, a young white woman who has never fought in her life, considers murdering a girl in order to keep her secret safe. I'm convinced that June probably would've, if Candice hadn't won.
I love this analysis of race and identity and think it serves as an important voice in current discussions. I highly recommend this.
I also have to mention that books about publishing, authors, and the literary field are some of my favorite and I enjoyed learning more of the ins and outs of the book publishing world as well. Even if it wasn't the main takeaway I was supposed to have.
The audiobook was intense and felt like a thriller/suspense novel at times. But also made me curious to learn more about the issues of publishing.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
HOLY. CRAP.
Finished this in one day, I was instantly drawn in on this crazy thrill ride. It's a fascinating look at publishing, writing, social media, and perception. The highs and lows of this book left me constantly on the edge of my seat.
Is it bad that I found myself rooting for Junie?
4.0 stars
June Hayward and Athena Liu are close friends, both young authors. Athena is a popular, well liked author where as June is a mediocre, struggling one. Athena dies and June takes her latest manuscript on World War I Chinese Labour Corps. She edits the manuscript and passes it off as her own to publisher. Lo and Behold! June is the next best author in the publishing industry.
Nothing lasts forever. June is always in a mental strain on how her lie will be caught. She is harassed in social media, dragged into discussions questioning her authenticity (her being American and writing about chinese people!). Along with accusations, June struggles with writer's block while constantly being anxious.
This novel shows how publishing works, how social media works (not only for authors) and its effects. I have read [b:The Ink Black Heart|60144955|The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)|Robert Galbraith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658242219l/60144955._SY75_.jpg|94115574] and [b:I'm a Fan|122769136|I'm a Fan|Sheena Patel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1676863456l/122769136._SY75_.jpg|94869753] which deals with similar topics on social media. A fast paced drama on how publishing industry and social media effects on everyone, the good or bad, alike.
Happy Reading!!
This was a wild ride from start to finish. Every character is fabulously written to be spectacularly awful. Any last lingering daydreams I had of being a professional author went out the window with this one.
We’re probably supposed to hate June. Thing is I hated her too much.
dnf @ 48%. insufferable mc, too much of rfk's voice in it. can't see myself giving it more than 2 stars and it's waaaay too early on the year for me to insist on books i know i won't like.
I’m going to be honest. I’m a little disappointed with the ending but overall I found this book to be such a fun read. I finished it super fast because I was so hooked. It has so many chronically online references that I enjoyed. I also thought some of the criticism RF Kaung gets is valid. Overall I’m glad she wrote this book because her writing is phenomenal and I don’t think I would ever pick up babbel or the poppy war because I do not venture in those genres. I do hope she writes another literary book to explore a more realistic and grounded storyline. I’m very glad I picked up this book!
What can you read after
Yellowface?
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
