Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is a fairly recent release, it came out a little over a year ago, and I recently picked up a signed copy at a used book sale. I had heard some great things, but I didn't realize that this is the author of Poppy Wars, and Babel, two books that are very different in subject to this book.

Yellowface is a book about a woman who steals writing works from a friend, after her untimely death. She puts those writing works (heavily whitewashed and edited) out into the world without any mention of Athena, the original author of the book. Athena herself wasn't a saint, and so our main character, June, feels like she is excused from the wrongness of her actions. Because if Athena did it in some messed up way, why can't June?

This book has a whole dictionary of thought in it. It explores the complexities of the publishing industry, social media, and books themselves. It is all one ironic piece of work, especially because June stole a work that Athena had made, her war piece, "something every worthwhile author writes at some point." The author of Yellowface, R.F. Kuang wrote the Poppy Wars trilogy as her first breakout novels.

It feels like a big question mark throughout the book as if this tale is many truths wrapped up into one, and the author is asking us what is a joke, what is her own opinion, and what is meant to fool us. June is a really horrible character, she embodies this racist ideology we see so often, asking us how she really can be so wrong in these scenarios when she so clearly is.

June lets all of the facts fly straight over her head, feeling that just because someone is not white they have a leg up, even when it's clear to see that Athena was chosen as the poster child for an Asian woman in the publishing industry so that they could "meet their quota for diversity." Whereas she really could get a book deal if her writing was adept enough.

Athena may not have been above breaching the moral code for stealing people's work, but it doesn't make June's work any better. It is pure hypocrisy, plain and simple. The author is showing us that the publishing industry (at least within the story) is one big joke. They don't care about right and wrong, they care about money, just like every other big industry out there.

Yellowface shines the light showing us that these people who say they care about diversity and inclusion really only care about monetary gain and being perceived as what the public needs to see.

It also dives deep into social media and shows us how easy it is to get caught up in the digital world when most people who have something to say about these situations are anonymous, they are faceless accounts authored by people who probably know nothing about these industries and what they do to people.

In a way, it shows how everyone is hypocritical, judging others without remorse, when they have no idea of their situations. It is a hypothetical view of a situation in which they will never fully know all the details. Everyone is ready to judge online, with no connections to the situation, but they will never truly know that they would do anything differently.

Star review: 4.5/5, Spice level: 0/5

Similar recommendations: The Poppy War Trilogy, Babel, Crying in H Mart, Year of the Tiger

Genre: Fiction, Light Thriller

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