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A review by sugarbowl
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
yellowface is both a super-meta critique of the publishing industry and a tense, fast-paced thrill-ride you can’t (and don’t want to) escape from. there’s a toe-curling will-she-won’t-she-get-caught through line that tugs the story swiftly and masterfully along, through to its slightly unhinged conclusion (also i hope you like hyphens because apparently i do!)
kuang has lots of interesting things to say about authorship and story ownership which she frames cleverly through her morally grey main character june. june fights herself on every decision, offers up every possible response to her actions, and follows this up with a barraging justification of herself and her actions in her mind. she is both her own best friend and worst critic—she has to be, she has nobody else left. this makes it sound like i condone june’s choices but no, i’m fascinated by her lurid, horrific thought experiment come to life.
this question of authorship and ownership was also explored in babel (which i loved!) and it continues to be a murky area of overlapping and conflicting beliefs over what justice looks like in this space—is it compensation, coverage, the right to be seen as a real human in three dimensions (surely the bare minimum!)?
i’ve seen some reviews panning this book for its pulpy content and pacing, but i think kuang has struck an impressive balance between a thrilling story and deep, provoking ideas about people and society. i also think her ability to casually expose readers to the historic fact of the chinese labour corps as a somewhat incidental facet of the story is incredibly skilful. ostensibly this story is of a stolen manuscript, but as readers of the meta story we still learn many details from the source material. it’s clear the scope of kuang’s knowledge of chinese history is both broad and deep, and she’s skilled at translating that history into her writing.
yellowface is a thoroughly engrossing story, i read the whole thing more or less in one sitting. i couldn’t put it down! i’m more keen than ever to pick up the poppy war trilogy now, too.
kuang has lots of interesting things to say about authorship and story ownership which she frames cleverly through her morally grey main character june. june fights herself on every decision, offers up every possible response to her actions, and follows this up with a barraging justification of herself and her actions in her mind. she is both her own best friend and worst critic—she has to be, she has nobody else left. this makes it sound like i condone june’s choices but no, i’m fascinated by her lurid, horrific thought experiment come to life.
this question of authorship and ownership was also explored in babel (which i loved!) and it continues to be a murky area of overlapping and conflicting beliefs over what justice looks like in this space—is it compensation, coverage, the right to be seen as a real human in three dimensions (surely the bare minimum!)?
i’ve seen some reviews panning this book for its pulpy content and pacing, but i think kuang has struck an impressive balance between a thrilling story and deep, provoking ideas about people and society. i also think her ability to casually expose readers to the historic fact of the chinese labour corps as a somewhat incidental facet of the story is incredibly skilful. ostensibly this story is of a stolen manuscript, but as readers of the meta story we still learn many details from the source material. it’s clear the scope of kuang’s knowledge of chinese history is both broad and deep, and she’s skilled at translating that history into her writing.
yellowface is a thoroughly engrossing story, i read the whole thing more or less in one sitting. i couldn’t put it down! i’m more keen than ever to pick up the poppy war trilogy now, too.