Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

You’ve probably heard of this book or at least seen this striking cover around in the last few months.

This is Kuang’s latest book and after reading Babel earlier and hearing some intriguing reviews of Yellowface, I decided to listen to the audiobook.

It’s about the publishing world and all its intricacies, including but not limited to: the idea, the first draft, agents, publishers, picking a cover, marketing, social media and then some.

I loved this inside view of the industry and wondered how many of these things are actually happening, or, true? Based on Twitter discussions, Tik Toks and magazine articles, sounds like it’s mostly true.

This is the story of June Hayward, or, shall I say Juniper Song? June is friends with Athena, a beloved author and after Athena dies in the weirdest accident ever, steals the manuscript she knows no one is aware of yet and works on publishing it as her own. Worth mentioning here that her debut novel flopped so the stakes are super high.

What a trip this was! Being in June’s head as she’s both aware she’s done something she shouldn’t, but also convincing herself she rewrote so much of the novel, that it’s hers as much as Athena’s. She becomes paranoid that she’s left clues behind or someone will figure her out.

Yellowface really hooked me, beautiful writing, fantastic audiobook narration, intriguing topic, etc. But, similar to my reading experience with Kuang’s other books (Babel, The Poppy War), I was underwhelmed by the ending. Things were building up and I was expecting some great twist and I was disappointed. For that reason, this is not a 5 star read, but it sure is a high 4 star read.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?