Title: Yellowface
Author: R.F. Kuang
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Satire, Contemporary Fiction
Year of Publication: 2023
Date of Publication: May 16, 2023
Pages: 336
ISBN-10: 0063250837
ISBN-13: 978-0063250833
Audiobook Read by: Helen Laser
Summary of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface centers on June Hayward, a struggling author, who witnesses the sudden death of her successful friend, Athena Liu. Athena is only 27 years old but is already very successful in the publishing world. With three novels, plus a Netflix deal, and a just completed manuscript, which no one else has seen, she is well on her way to greater things. But here’s the catch, Athena almost has no friends in the D.C. area except June Hayward.
June and Athena first met when they were at Yale University. They were assigned to the same dorm rooms and lived on the same floor. Both of them aspired to be writers and published short stories in the same literary magazines and a sort of friendship was formed. June would later describe this friendship as a skin deep friendship where they “like” each others social media posts a couple of times a week and hangout every once in a while (mostly because of where they live).
While Athena’s career appeared to have taken off after college, June on the other hand was struggling, She had written a novel titled Over the Sycamore but it received little to no attention and ultimately had poor sales. To make ends meet, June works part-time as a tutor at a college institute coaching and ghost writing.
One evening Athena and June decide to hang out. They go drinking and are having a fun night. Eventually, the two of them end up at Athena’s apartment and talk in a ways they have never really done before. Athena tells June that she has just completed her manuscript on her latest work but that no one else has had the opportunity to review it. Before the night is over, feeling hungry, they decide to make pancakes and somewhere along the line, Athena chokes on her pancake and dies.
Acting impulsively, June steals Athena’s unpublished manuscript. The manuscript is a historical novel about Chinese laborers in World War I. It highlights the unsung contributions and experiences of these laborers (about 114,000 Chinese workers) who were recruited by the British Army and sent to the Allied front during World War 1.
At first, June tries to convince herself that she only took the manuscript to see if she can fill in the blanks, a sort of writing exercise i.e. tidying up or polishing up in her own words. But once she gets done, she decides to send it to her publisher as her own work.
“But then I just kept going. I couldn’t stop. They say that editing a bad draft is far easier than composing on a blank page.”— June reflecting and trying to justify her need to complete Athena’s story (Chapter 2).
Because of the lack of success of her first book, which June published under her name, she decides to rebrand herself as ‘Juniper Song.” June tells herself that she is making this decision since “Song” is her middle name and not for any other reason. But in addition to the name, the images used for her publication are also very filtered to show a very tan version of herself. June also begins posting a lot more culturally sensitive matters relating to people of color.
Once the book, titled The Last Front, hits the market, June initially revels in her success. But soon after, guilt and fear of exposure intensify as she faces questions of cultural appropriation, racial identity, and ethical responsibility. The rest of story follows June as she confronts the public’s growing suspicion, particularly on social media, which heightens her paranoia and desperation.
Main Plot & Characters
- June Hayward / Juniper Song: The narrator. A struggling white author who steals her late friend’s manuscript and publishes it under a racially ambiguous name, sparking a whirlwind of fame and controversy.
- Athena Liu: June’s former classmate and a successful Chinese American author. Her sudden death leaves behind an unpublished manuscript that June claims as her own.
- Aurora “Rory” Hayward: June’s older sister. Practical, grounded, and concerned about June’s choices. She serves as a moral contrast to June’s increasingly self-absorbed spiral.
- Patricia Liu: Athena’s mother. She’s protective of her daughter’s legacy.
- Geoffrey Carlino: Athena’s former boyfriend. After her death, he becomes suspicious of June.
- Daniella Woodhouse: She is June’s editor at Eden Press, assigned to shape The Last Front into a polished, marketable bestseller.
- Candace Lee: She was an editorial assistant at Eden Press.
- Garrett McKintosh: June’s former editor.
Key Themes
- Cultural Appropriation: The novel examines the exploitation of marginalized voices and the commodification of cultural stories for commercial gain.
- Identity and Authenticity: Through June’s actions, Kuang explores the question of who has the right to tell certain stories.
- Social Media and Accountability: The novel highlights how social media can amplify controversies, holding individuals accountable while examining the destructive potential of online backlash.
Writing Style
Kuang writing is laced with a lot of dark humor, which really works for this novel. She tells the story through June’s first-person narration and this allows you as a readers to truly gain insight into her rationalizations and insecurities.
The book also uses satire to provide a serious critique of the publishing industry’s flaws, particularly around diversity and cultural representation.
Favorite Quotes
- “Of course I have my detractors. The more popular a book becomes, the more popular it becomes to hate on said book.”— June reflecting on getting bad ratings and comments online (Chapter 8).
- “Not every girl has a rape story. But almost every girl has an ‘I’m not sure, I didn’t like it, but I can’t quite call it rape’ story.”— June’s reflections about an experience in college.
- “But the best revenge is to thrive.” — June’s reflection on success as vindication for being passed over by her previous editor (Chapter 7).
- “Because that’s how this industry works. Publishing picks a winner. Someone attractive enough, someone cool and young…we are all thinking it, diverse enough and lavishes all its money on them. It’s so fucking arbitrary or perhaps not arbitrary, but it hinges on factors that have nothing to do with the strength of one’s prose… Athena—a beautiful, Yale-educated, international, ambiguously queer woman of color—has been chosen by the Powers That Be.”— June’s internal resentment sets in as she contrasts Athena’s identity and success with her own (Chapter 1).
- “If Athena’s ghost tries to murder me on these steps, there’s probably no way I can prevent my fate. But I won’t go out without a fight.”— June braces herself for the consequences of her actions (Chapter 23).
- “I looked like I was trying to hold in a sneeze or like I had to take a shit but I was too afraid to tell anyone.”— June reflecting on her photo (Chapter 5).
- “The cultural constructions are clear: so many Chinese ghosts are hungry, angry, voiceless women. In taking Athena’s legacy, I’ve added one to their ranks.”— June’s reflections (Chapter 22).
- “There’s no need to dress it up. We are all vultures, and some of us—and I mean Athena, here—are simply better at finding the juiciest morsels of a story, at ripping through bone and gristle to the tender bleeding heart and putting all the gore on display.”— June’s insight at a bookstore event (Chapter 8).
Impact of Yellowface
Kuang’s critique of the publishing industry in Yellowface resonated with readers, leading to critical acclaim for its bold take on privilege, exploitation, and authenticity. The novel’s exploration of identity and the pressures of social media earned it a place among 2023’s most discussed books. Source: TIME.
What are your thoughts on this book? Have you had a chance to read it? Let us know in the comments!
Authors
You May Also Like:
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Book Review
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney Book Review
Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich Book Review
