Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

"The night I watch Athena Liu die, we're celebrating her TV deal with Netflix."

The opening line of Yellowface by R F Kuang immediately sets a tone of intrigue and suspense.

Published: 2023
Author: R. F. Kuang (American)
Genres: Satire, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction
Pages: 336
My rating: 3/5

If I had to sum up "Yellowface" by R. F. Kuang in one word, it would be "entertaining" because I had a blast reading it. As someone interested in writing and publishing, I enjoyed reading the insights into the industry that the book offers. Also Satire! I find satire entertaining.

The book centers around June Hayward, an aspiring author who becomes embroiled in controversy after witnessing the death of her former classmate, Athena Liu, a literary sensation. When June decides to rewrite Athena's manuscript and pass it off as her own, chaos ensues, and she has to deal with accusations of cultural appropriation and plagiarism.

Throughout the book, there are frequent references to movies, celebrities, and pop culture topics, many of which I am familiar with. It kinda made me think it'd be fun to be friends with Kuang and chat about all these topics. I even took a break to watch Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" because Kuang mentioned it so often, and I wasn't let down. I like the movie.

However, the book lacks character development and the storyline becomes quite predictable and cliched. Maybe June's character wasn't supposed to develop. Still, complexity in the storyline could be enhanced, and some redundancy (for example, how many times was "Dunkirk" mentioned? not once, not twice but three times or more) could be removed to improve the book's overall appeal.

While "Yellowface" might not be Kuang's greatest work, it's undeniably enjoyable. Personally, I wouldn't mind diving into more of Kuang's work in the future.

What about you? Have you read it?

[Image credit: Dibesh, thank you🤓]

Comments

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