This book is so different than Kuang’s other books, but no less entertaining. It’s a quick read compared to her more hefty books like Babel without feeling like it’s missing anything from the story. 

I did not love June Hayward by any means, but reading from her POV was definitely interesting and entertaining. Her thoughts are raw and ugly but also honest and real. I found myself laughing at so many of her obnoxious stereotypes but contemplating over a lot of her more realistic opinions. Kuang did a beautiful job balancing that dynamic and using it to propel her commentary that no one is blameless in this dog eat dog world.

Which brings me to her social commentary — absolutely fantastic! 

It’s about white people appropriating non-white work, shaping it to their own standards while justifying their actions simultaneously. It was so interesting to see Kuang call out white people for profiting off non-whites, but also calling out Asian people too. It was the last thing I expected and also what this book needed to be such a success. It’s also about diving into the life altering process of “making it” in book industry, but how it can also be a lonely and fickle place for writers. Lastly it touches on cancel culture and censorship and how that’s affecting society today. 

Kuang really doesn’t pull her punches for ANYONE and I absolutely admired that. She credits and discredits everywhere it is due. No question she doesn’t deserve to be a favorite author of many. 

10/10 would recommend anything she writes if you want a thought-provoking and entertaining read.