Yellowface
Hello, all! It's been awhile. My last book review was written in March and life has been rather hectic since then. School and work hasn't allowed me to put reading as a priority. Not only that, but I seemed to go through a reading slump. For months I picked up a book only to put it back down immediately. Thankfully, "Yellowface" by R. F. Kuang dragged me right out of both my writing and reading slump. Not only did this book give me a fascinating insight into the world of an author but the writing captured me on the first page. I am excited to share my review with you today!
Synopsis: June Hayward and Athena Liu should have had the same chance at fame through their writing. After all, they both went to Yale and were supposedly close friends. Unfortunately, the publishing world craves diversity, and Athena Liu, a Chinese-American author, fits their desires perfectly while June Hayward, an average white girl, is completely ignored. When Athena's untimely death provides an opportunity, June decides to steal her manuscript and submit it as her own. But will her stolen fame last when damning evidence and Athena's ghost comes back to haunt her?
Writing: 5/5
The writing in this book captured me on the very first page. Written from the view of June Hayward, a white author struggling to publish a successful book, the author successfully portrays the hassle and intense competition within the publishing world. The frustration, panic, anger, pain, and bursts of dopamine from gaining fans is all described perfectly well. I was really struck by the accuracy in the way she described anxiety attacks and depression. The main character's fluctuating emotions really gave us a look into the life of someone desperately wanting fame and doing anything to keep herself in the spotlight. Another part of writing that really captured my attention was when the author described Athena Liu's untimely death. Choking on uncooked pancakes is certainly not the best way to go, and R. F. Kuang did a fantastic job describing the horror of such a death. She described her clawing at her throat, her eyes bugging out of her head, and her face turning a dark blue color. It was a powerful and terrifying to imagine all the words written on the page. R. F. Kuang also did an amazing job describing June's brain spiraling into madness as new problems popped up throughout her growing fame. She goes from loved to hated, and loved to hated again. She becomes so obsessed with keeping her stolen success that she even considers murder---even surprising herself with such an evil thought. It started as a simple story and fell into an exciting psychological thriller. I was perfectly pleased with the writing and look forward to reading more of her novels.
Dialogue: 3/5
June Hayward is a writer and can therefore easily manipulate people with careful words. She uses trickery to twist the actions and thoughts of those around her. R. F. Kuang does a good job showing character through dialogue, not only through June but other characters as well. There is carelessness shown in June's sister and mother, a dangerous obsession in "Athena's ghost", and a violent anger in Athena Liu's ex boyfriend. The reason I give this a 3 out of 5 is because the dialogue was of mostly no importance. Most of the book was filled with passages of June explaining everything that happened after she stole her friend's manuscript.
Characters: 4/5
The characters were all very well-written. June Hayward's beliefs in her goodness of actions and compelling arguments almost had me rooting for her. She so strongly believed that she was not in the wrong even while understanding that she deliberately stole a manuscript from a dead author. I enjoyed the fact that there was no "good guy" in this story. Everyone had some serious flaws and no single character was completely likable. The main character explained her actions so well that it was easy to want to be on her side, but she was still in the wrong and I often had to remind myself of this. Not only this, but I was very shocked by her willingness, in the end, to commit a murder. She strove so hard to keep her fame and integrity intact, so when it was threatened to all be taken from her, she found herself finding that the only way to maintain her status was to take a life.
Plot: 5/5
I loved the plot of this book! It intrigued me just by the synopsis. As a wannabe author, I will admit the notion of such a competitive reality within the publishing world frightened me. The trope of race and status being used as both a weapon and an asset in the rising fame of an author is mentioned so often in this novel. It spoke about how easily fame was lost among writers. You might be a bestselling author for a few months, but what about after? If you don’t pump out another award-winning novel, you won’t survive.
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
I absolutely loved this read! It helped me get out of my reading slump with it's interesting plot and superb writing. I 100% recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thrilling read with the topics of race, fame, the dangers of social media, and cultural appropriation witnessed in everyday life.
What are your thoughts?