Yellowface, Rebecca F. Kuang - A Review

By: Eva Rebecca

I dove into Yellowface somewhat blind. Apart from the back cover, I had not read any summaries of the plot, nor any in-depth reviews. However, I did have high expectations from the start, as the book was positively received and pretty much sold out in all my local bookstores since it was released. The author, Rebecca F. Kuang, has established a solid reputation after the successes of her novel Babel and the popular book series The Poppy Wars, and now Yellowface can be added to this great list.

To quickly summarize the novel, Yellowface is about an aspiring author named June Hayward who is acquainted with an already successful ‘literary darling’ named Athena Liu. The two women met in college, Yale to be exact, and bonded over their mutual love of writing. Thus, as Athena becomes a literary success right out of college, it is not surprising that this sparks jealousy in June. One night, as the two celebrate another of Athena’s successes, tragedy strikes, and June watches as Athena’s life comes to an abrupt end. June makes her way home, in shock over the loss of her ‘friend’, whilst having gained a valuable possession: Athena’s manuscript. This stolen piece of Athena’s legacy sets the course for the rest of the novel, as June decides to complete the manuscript and publish it as her own.

This novel raises a myriad of important questions, but the main theme running throughout this novel is: Who has the right to tell what story? If we put the fact that June stole the manuscript aside for a second, we could ask ourselves: If the story is told accurately and respectfully, is it still a problem if the writer is not culturally affiliated with the subject of the story? I believe this to be an interesting point of discussion, and Kuang does a great job at illustrating both sides of the argument.

What struck me most about this novel is Kuang’s brilliance in developing an unlikeable main character, downright psychotic at some points, but still managing to incorporate a relatability that keeps the reader rooting for June at the right moments. As I was reading I remember thinking: am I supposed to be on June’s team or not? You feel joy as her novel becomes a success, whilst also experiencing June’s guilt of having stolen Athena’s ideas. The same fear that June feels, as the links between her and Athena are drawn, creeps up to you as well with the turn of the page.

Another development skillfully portrayed by Kuang is June’s descent into an anxious breakdown, as she is bombarded with hate comments on social media. The constant checking, the dread she feels with every notification, and the back-and-forth between defensiveness and feeling like the most horrible person in the world, shows June’s conflicting emotions in trying to navigate the negative attention she receives online, and it is an accurate representation of the dark side of social media.

All in all, I was impressed with Kuang’s writing style, she covers a lot of ground whilst staying on point, and the plot was unpredictable enough to keep me entertained all throughout the book. If you are looking for a fun read that also forces you to employ your critical thinking skills, I would highly recommend Yellowface.