After months of waiting, my library hold for Yellowface by R.F. Kuang finally came in. This buzzy book has been circulating all over social media, and for good reason. Yellowface is a departure from Kuang’s other works and holds a mirror up to the publishing industry and social media surrounding said industry. Read on for my synopsis and thoughts.
Synopsis
Athena and June, both writers, have known each other since their college days at Yale. Athena’s career takes off right out of college, while June’s has been limping along since her one and only book was published. When Athena unexpectedly dies right in front of June, June takes Athena’s latests manuscript, a book about Chinese soldiers during WWI. June reads it and soon starts to work on it. She makes some changes, “polishes it up,” and soon she is publishing the book as her own work. While the book is wildly successful, June is left with lingering guilt, pushback from the Chinese community, and questions about the originality of the work.
Details/Review
- This is a satirical telling of two writers’ experiences with the publishing industry, one white and one Chinese. Kuang brings to light deep-seated issues in publishing such as white supremacy, tokenism, cultural appropriation, and racism.
- One of the core questions of this story is: who is allowed to tell a story? We see Kuang’s thoughts on this through June but also Athena.
- I love the first person narration which really allows us to see the unfiltered thoughts of June. We see how she justifies her actions (yikes). We see her clearly racist views. And we see some thoughts that are not overtly problematic but are actually prejudiced. We also have a front row seat to her mental deterioration as she her guilt manifests.
- The characterization in the book is fantastic. June is clearly an unlikable and unethical character, and yet at some points in the book I felt sympathy for her. However, Athena is not wholly good or wholly evil either.
- Kuang also takes on the role of social media (especially Twitter/X), Goodreads, and cancel culture in an author’s career.
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
This was a thought-provoking book that would be perfect for a book club discussion. You can get a copy of Yellowface here or by visiting your local bookstore ☻.