Review of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Who gets to tell a particular story? You're asking the wrong question.

I would like to begin this review by saying, as the title of the book suggests, that this book deals with heavy themes of racism against the Asian community. As I am not Asian, I cannot speak to these themes beyond the recognition that this is a serious topic that is necessary to address in the present climate, and any time. Racism has no place in the world and I applaud authors like RF Kuang for addressing it openly, bluntly, and without worrying about the "white guilt" that her readers may feel. I hope I can find more ways to support anti-racism efforts so that the burden of educating others does not fall to those who are most hurt by the racism that exists in the world.

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This book reads like a thriller, it is heavy, it is brilliant, it is gut-wrenching, it is nuanced, it is beautiful.

It opened my eyes to the brutality of the publishing industry, it's competitiveness and cutthroat nature, but also the complexity, and even beauty, of what it can look like to "make it" as an author. The foundational theme of the whole book is loneliness.

What does it look like to get to the top? What are you willing to do to get there? Who are you willing to sacrifice? If the ends justify the means, then you will always play the victim when every corner you cut doesn't get you where you want. This book explores the costs and loneliness of fame, and the loss of soul as the narrator steps on everyone to get to where she wants to go. And the easiest people to trample? Those without a voice, either literally because they are dead and gone, or figuratively due to societal racism. Jealousy is a monster that will make you believe you deserve the accolades, even if they are stolen from the truly deserving.

RF Kuang's characters are truly mesmerizing. While you watch Juniper's climb to fame and fall from grace, you fluctuate between despising her and faintly hoping she will have a change of heart. You can be appalled at her actions, while simultaneously sympathizing with her circumstances.

Additionally, the characters (who I shall not name to avoid spoilers), who become victims of Juniper's behavior, are not perfect. They are just as flawed. However, when a victim is flawed, this does not negate the fact that the actions done to the victim were disrespectful or even downright criminal. And RF Kuang weaves that thread through the story of Yellowface immaculately. No one is perfect. We are all just trying our best. But NO ONE deserves to be discriminated against. And we are all responsible for our own actions, whether intentional or not.

This is a story about the brutality of the publishing industry, about the beauty of finding your voice through the art of writing; a story about racism and white guilt, about sacrificing your soul for fame and fortune; a story about a girl who lets bitterness run and ruin her life, and who chooses to care only about what she can get no matter how many bodies she leaves in her wake.

My only critique of this beautiful story is that the moments of building tension, as Juniper begins to unravel mentally, occasionally seemed repetitive-- not in the content, but in the way it was written. Perhaps this was intentional, but it felt a little stilted and took away from some of the buildup.

Adult Content/Trigger Warnings: racism both blatant and microaggressions, discrimination, death, threatening, bullying, language, sexual assault/rape, stalking.