Cringey Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

My wee review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is a wickedly smart and dark novel about racism, cultural appropriation, cancel culture, and the publishing industry. It's a quick and entertaining read, but to be clear, it's full of cringey and icky moments, terrible choices, and bad behaviour.

My boyfriend bought me Yellowface by R.F. Kuang for my birthday and I was jazzed because it had been on my library holds list for awhile, but due to a cyberattack, my library's holds system has been out of commission for over a month now. (For library lovers in Toronto, this has been a very stressful and challenging time!). After barely finishing a very unenjoyable but recent Giller Prize-winning book that I thoroughly hated (Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein...ugh...) I was excited to jump into a popular Reese's pick. This book did not disappoint!

Yellowface tells the story of a young white female writer, June, who witnesses the tragic death of her friend-slash-rival, a successful Asian writer, and steals her latest manuscript to pass off as her own. A series of lies, terrible choices, and cringe-worthy moments ensues, as June fights to maintain her claim as a legitimate author and fights off an army of internet haters and suspicious literary critics.

Yellowface beside my only yellow object at

home, which looks sadly washed out in

comparison....

What I loved:

R.F. Kuang is so smart in how she crafted this novel. The protagonist, June, has no doubt stolen her friend's work, and repeatedly feels that she is the victim of reverse discrimination as a white female author in a publishing industry increasingly focused on diversity and representation. Some of her inner dialogue and choices are TERRIBLE. And yet, I found myself having some empathy for June, who is alone and struggling in a very cut-throat and petty industry. To be clear, I had no doubts she was in the wrong, but Kuang adds depths and layers to this character that left me feeling many feelings.

The inside look into the publishing industry was also very fascinating and book lovers will no doubt enjoy learning about the ins and outs of how books get made. To be honest, it sounds awful to be a writer who just wants to practice their craft, but has to work in a very profit-driven, fickle industry. My suspicions about how "hot new releases" and "bestsellers" are really chosen based on marketing dollars were affirmed, and my love of indie publishing houses and indie bookstores only grew.

My love of independent publishers, bookstores,

and carbs, in GIF-y format (credit: Wix/GIPHY)

What I loved less:

The only thing I really didn't like, which isn't a criticism of the book at all, was just how cringe-y and stressful some moments were. When you're watching June just dig herself deeper into a whole, or fall into a pit of despair when the internet turns against her, it's just unpleasant. Again, this is the entire point of the novel. But I'm just saying, this is not a feel good rom-com!

Final thought: I encourage you to pick up Yellowface. If you love reading and care about equity and representation in literature, you'll get a lot out of this inside look into the industry and discrimination in obvious and subtle forms.