Book Review: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

rating: 5/5 stars

synopsis:

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Deadly consequences…
What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

thoughts:
the sharpest most blunt book i have ever read. a confronting read about isolation, jealousy, creative slump, and race. it always amazes me how much impact the author can make with so little words. every sentence felt like a slap, and was packed with themes that made me think a lot. all of it was personally very hard to digest, but that’s what i really appreciate about the book. i went pretty crazy with the annotations and started discussions with myself on the topics involved. there were lots of thinking out loud moments with the philosophy, background, and perception of race in the book (and wider) industry. there was a lot that i agreed and disagreed with, but a lot of the discussions left me feeling pretty conflicted. in a way, the author was able to dig a trough so deep in me that i no longer know where my morals stand, especially as a POC. either way, i enjoyed the book immensely. even saying this is an understatement. i could not put the book down. every last dialogue and description was so satisfying that it felt like i could not stop reading until i reached the end. it was great to learn about the publishing industry! what goes into the process of getting a book deal, getting published, earning royalties, etc. a truly intense, unique, and brilliant novel.