Book Review: Yellowface by R F Kuang
Looking for an honest review of Yellowface by R. F. Kuang? Here are my thoughts on the book to help you decide whether to pick this one up.
Yellowface (at a glance)
Author: R. F. Kuang
Genre: Literary fiction / satire / thriller
Published: 2023
My rating: ★★★★★
Best for: Readers who enjoy sharp social commentary, morally grey characters, publishing industry drama, and fast-paced literary thrillers
Yellowface summary
Yellowface tells the story of June Hayward and Athena Liu, two young women living in Washington DC, friends (or “friends”) and writers.
Athena is beautiful, wealthy and has already found literary success. Meanwhile June is struggling to get her agent to pay her any attention.
When Athena suddenly dies in a freak accident with June present, June takes this opportunity to steal Athena’s unpublished manuscript right from her apartment.
Athena’s final story is about the Chinese Labour Corps and their role in WW1, which June edits and finishes, before sending it to her agent under her own name.
The draft is incredibly well-received, and June signs a book deal with one of the top publishers.
But it’s decided that the book should be published under a pen name, Juniper Song, ostensibly to distance it from June’s existing, unsuccessful works, and definitely not because it is somewhat racially ambiguous.
As June’s fame grows, so do questions surrounding the manuscript’s true origins and why June, an American woman, would write this story. And June becomes increasingly desperate as she’s questioned about it.
Yellowface review
Yellowface has quickly become one of my favourite reads, and I’ve been recommending it to everyone ever since I finished it.
I read Yellowface in two sittings because every chapter ends with the main character, June, digging herself deeper into trouble.
It’s one of those books where you keep thinking “she can’t possibly make this worse”… and then she does.
Yellowface explores a huge number of themes in a relatively short number of pages: diversity in the publishing industry, cancel culture, racial appropriation, intense jealousy, fame and success at a young age and more.
For me, the most interesting question this book poses is about who has the “right” to write certain stories.
It’s a satire and thriller with a deeply twisted cast of characters that you can’t help but be fascinated by. It’s also simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking, which can be a difficult balance to strike.
I absolutely loved reading things from June’s POV and couldn’t wait to see what messed-up course of events she would put in motion next.
I found her narrative made me chuckle more and more as she became more desperate to justify her actions.
I also loved learning more about Athena Liu through the lens of other characters as the story went on. She’s by no means an angel, which makes you question all your initial assumptions about the protagonists.
You might hate June Hayward, but you’ll probably also find yourself hating Athena Liu.
It’s a novel packed with drama that will make you gasp with shock, laugh with incredulity and shake your head in despair. If you enjoy books with morally messy characters, biting social commentary, and punchy pacing, Yellowface is absolutely worth picking up.
Want to read Yellowface for yourself? Grab a copy:
Amazon | Bookshop.org
Yellowface would also make a great book club pick, as there’s so much to discuss. Check out my Yellowface book club discussion pack here for more.
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