Book Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
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.
June and Athena are authors who first became friends at Yale. Athena became the new it girl in publishing with a massive book deal for her debut. June’s first book was a total flop. When Athena dies in a tragic accident, June steals the manuscript for Athena’s next book, The Last Front, and passes it off as her own. The Last Front is a novel about Chinese laborers during World War I. It becomes a huge best-seller, prompting people to ask if June, a white woman, should be profiting off a story about a painful time in Chinese history. Not long after that, June is publically accused of plagiarizing Athena’s work. The lies are spinning out of control, social media has turned against her, and June has deluded herself into thinking she’s more responsible for the success of The Last Front than Athena.
Yellowface is a send-up of systemic racism in the publishing industry. June is completely oblivious to her white privilege in a forehead-smacking way. I was shaking my head at her the whole time. She actually thinks it’s harder for white writers and that Athena’s being Asian played a big part in her success. Kuang does not spare the agents or publishers either. Even though this book is satire, I don’t think it’s too far from the truth.
There is a thriller aspect to Yellowface also. Someone claiming to be Athena is stalking June online and June thinks she’s actually seen Athena at one of her book signings. I found it suspenseful and gripping. I was surprised by the ending which I think was perfection.
Highly recommended.
