Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang.
I don’t think this book even needs an introduction. It’s quite possibly the most popular book I’ve seen around. From Chelsea to Cologne to Chicago, “Yellowface” always has a spot on the display shelf. In Oxford, it literally had its own little shrine, and deservedly so.
To summarize, this book is a commentary on cultural appropriation, diversity and internet cancel culture surrounding the book publishing industry. It’s written from the perspective of Juniper “June” Hayward, a white woman struggling to make ends meet as an author and living under the shadow of her, shall we say, ‘acquaintance,’ literary star Athena Liu. The story takes off when Athena dies and June decides to publish Athena’s final work under the name “Juniper Song,” leading people to believe she’s Asian.
You can probably presume some of what comes next. And yet, there was so much packed into this 300-page book that was unpredictable and delightful. From the portrayals of denial to the personal justifications of doom-scrolling to the inner monologue of anxiety, R.F. Kuang does such an amazing job of creating a realistic main character. You don’t want to relate to her. She’s supposed to be the bad guy in the story. And yet, inexplicably, so many of her thought processes mirror many of our own — from jealousy at another person’s success to anxiety over wanting to simply be accepted. To some extent, you see yourself in her: someone who is not particularly good but also not particularly bad, who occasionally feels misunderstood by the world but is undeniably human.
Of course, there’s also the sillier side of this novel, but I’ll leave that for you to enjoy on your own. As a sneak preview, there are ghosts, there’s snarky commentary on internet — particularly Twitter — culture and there’s a sneaky mention of the most overhyped but also culturally significant Chinese dramas to ever grace my screen, “The Untamed.” If you know, you know.
My favorite thing about this novel, though, is that it really peeled back the layers of how the publishing industry works. When you think about it, everything just boils down to emails and drafted Public Relations statements. My favorite line is from the official statement that June posts after nearly being canceled for plagiarizing Athena’s work, which says, “My agent and editor have conducted their own independent investigations and have found no wrongdoing.” Mind you, this so-called independent investigation is completely nonexistent. It’s as if Kuang is giving us a subtle reminder that every time you see any sort of PR statement claiming to be transparent, take it with a grain of salt. Or maybe an entire box of salt.
Anyway, if I haven’t made it clear enough, this book is an absolute must-read. There’s the accidental death to get you hooked straightaway, silly internet slang, dialogue to keep you amused and a sense of impending doom to push the story along. The hype is absolutely deserved, and I highly recommend you take the time to read this book.
