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A review by bahareads
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have so much to say about Yellowface. It lives rent-free in my mind. RF Kuang did her thing with this book. I found it to be hilarious, frustrating, and at times almost outrageous. BUT I know these things do happen so that made it even more mindblowing. A read that is worth binging, I ATE this book up. As most people know RF Kuang is using this book as commentary on the world of publishing. I have not been following Kuang's author trajectory up to this point so I know nothing about her journey or struggle.
June is an insane White woman. I alternated between feeling like she was evil and slightly insane to feeling sorry for her. By the end of the book, I was in June's head and I could see how she thought her thought process made sense. As the book continued and we went down the rabbit hole of Juniper's mind I had to question reality myself. I had to remind myself of what I knew to be true from earlier in the book. Usually, I hate when I don't like any of the characters but the plot was so insane that it did not matter to me. The absurd and unhinged showing of the book community and publishing is so funny because of the Cait Corrain incident (which is a great example of everything Yellowface is).
There are a few topics that either the characters mention or Kuang adds to the plot that I have to talk about.
(1) June says "Why should I read primary source material" when she's editing the first book. I need her and anyone else who has ever thought this to BBFR. If you are writing historical fiction you should be reading primary source material. Not only will that help you with shaping the world you are trying to create but it also adds historical authenticity and realness to your work. I would never say I'm going to write about the Romanov Royal Court than just watch Anastasia for research. You see how dumb that sounds? Even when you're writing on historical actors on the margins, using primary sources can help beef up what is known and allow you to make EDUCATED guesses about what is unknown.
(2) it’s so hilarious how June is not “reading against the grain” anymore when it comes to negative reviews regarding historical inaccuracies and instead pointing to historical sources without any kind of contextualization.
(3) The politics of historical photos was RIFE in this book, especially when June uses some of the photos to justify her racist ways.
(4) I have heavy thoughts on how the book world markets books into a certain niche. I'm thinking of Asha Bromfield's Hurricane Child as a prime example. It was marketed as a book from the Jamaican Diaspora (which Bromfield is from the diaspora) and the book itself is centered on a girl who visits Jamaica to see her father and his family for the summer. It was a terrible book that tropicalized Jamaica into an undeveloped 'otherness.' All Jamaican women were portrayed as evil and jealous of the MC. There were so many problematic things in this book that Akilah wrote a whole article on it. BUT my main point is that by trying to fit into a niche with BIPOC, it can be harmful to whatever subsection publishing is trying to reach.
June is an insane White woman. I alternated between feeling like she was evil and slightly insane to feeling sorry for her. By the end of the book, I was in June's head and I could see how she thought her thought process made sense. As the book continued and we went down the rabbit hole of Juniper's mind I had to question reality myself. I had to remind myself of what I knew to be true from earlier in the book. Usually, I hate when I don't like any of the characters but the plot was so insane that it did not matter to me. The absurd and unhinged showing of the book community and publishing is so funny because of the Cait Corrain incident (which is a great example of everything Yellowface is).
There are a few topics that either the characters mention or Kuang adds to the plot that I have to talk about.
(1) June says "Why should I read primary source material" when she's editing the first book. I need her and anyone else who has ever thought this to BBFR. If you are writing historical fiction you should be reading primary source material. Not only will that help you with shaping the world you are trying to create but it also adds historical authenticity and realness to your work. I would never say I'm going to write about the Romanov Royal Court than just watch Anastasia for research. You see how dumb that sounds? Even when you're writing on historical actors on the margins, using primary sources can help beef up what is known and allow you to make EDUCATED guesses about what is unknown.
(2) it’s so hilarious how June is not “reading against the grain” anymore when it comes to negative reviews regarding historical inaccuracies and instead pointing to historical sources without any kind of contextualization.
(3) The politics of historical photos was RIFE in this book, especially when June uses some of the photos to justify her racist ways.
(4) I have heavy thoughts on how the book world markets books into a certain niche. I'm thinking of Asha Bromfield's Hurricane Child as a prime example. It was marketed as a book from the Jamaican Diaspora (which Bromfield is from the diaspora) and the book itself is centered on a girl who visits Jamaica to see her father and his family for the summer. It was a terrible book that tropicalized Jamaica into an undeveloped 'otherness.' All Jamaican women were portrayed as evil and jealous of the MC. There were so many problematic things in this book that Akilah wrote a whole article on it. BUT my main point is that by trying to fit into a niche with BIPOC, it can be harmful to whatever subsection publishing is trying to reach.