Yellowface

R.F. Kuang's Yellowface is the old standby, a book about books, a writer writing about writing. I'm mainly a playwright, and there are more plays than I can count about playwriting. It's interesting to see this placed in the context of the cutthroat and (like theatre) increasingly identity-politics driven world of publishing. The main character June, who is white (and a struggling writer) struggles with her friendship with her incredibly successful writer friend Athena (who is Chinese), but in a sudden moment of crisis doesn't act to prevent Athena's death. Then she notices Athena's new unpublished novel on the desk...… show more.

Whoa Girl! Two Snaps Up!!!

Loud burst of laughter in a stew of snide snickers, mixed with a healthy dash of schadenfreude makes for deep waters to swim in for anyone who has written ( or intends to write) a book.

Plenty of opportunity for self and social reflection between the laughs and keeping up with the inevitable.

As an author myself, it was interesting to see the inside workings of the publicity surrounding a book release.

What a send-up of the publishing world and cancellation culture. I loved it.

This book is so horribly, deliciously meta. 

This was a book I’d meant to read since it was released, but I never did. Then I was asked about the accuracy of Kuang’s depiction of the publishing industry and curiosity made me crack it open. Kuang crafts a slow-moving trainwreck that you can’t turn away from, even though, at times, you desperately wish to. It gave me hives and heart palpitations. Twice, I fell asleep listening to it and had nightmares.

It wasn’t just the industry descriptions that produced such a visceral reaction. Instead, it’s because Kuang nails that emotional author… show more.

It's easy to begin this novel and finish it in one sitting. A page-turner in every sense of the word with a message that will resonate with writers from marginalised backgrounds.

One white author steals the work of her dead Asian friend and passes it off as hers. This book is shocking, twisty, unputdownable. 

This is a brilliant book, no matter how you cut it, but when you are a writer, it hits extra hard.

It is perfect for aspiring writers to learn what is going to happen when they debut. It is a painful read sometimes, but it is brave and honest. The best books are about truth, and this book shouts it out loud.

I loved it! 

This book was utterly compelling in every way, and I know it’s on many people’s “best books of 2023” lists.

It was kind of like watching a slow-motion train wreck, but instead of a train, it was an author’s career (and consequently, her personal life) crumbling before your eyes. The commentary on the publishing industry was painfully accurate, and the characterization of the unlikable narrator was true perfection.

Best to go into this one without knowing too much. It’s a wild ride!

This book is a clever look at the dark underbelly of the book publishing industry, the destructiveness of social media, and the high cost of unbridled ambition. And who better to escort us through this bleak landscape than a plagiarist who has stolen her dead friend’s book manuscript and passed it off as her own?

The narrator, June Hayward (AKA “Juniper Song,” to sound more Asian), isn’t just unreliable; she’s loathsome. Her shifting justifications for her theft and her lies are desperate, cynical, and unconvincing. In short, she is the ideal person to take us on a tour of the… show more.

I love books about the ins and outs of publishing, and this thriller is a timely, razor-sharp satire with twists and turns that I never saw coming.

It offers a cultural dialogue while also being an immensely readable thriller about the need for validation. You won’t forget it for a long time after reading it.