Book Review: Yellowface — R F KUANG
Well that was fun. Quick, witty and raises some interesting questions for the publishing industry.
Firstly, I loved the premise of the story. The book follows a run of the mill writer, June Hayward, trying to make it big as an author. One night, while catching up with her highly successful friend (sort of) Athena, Athena suffers a rather untimely death choking on some pancakes. Whilst normal people might be traumatised by watching their friend die and need a hardcore dose of therapy just to function, June was a little more forward thinking. Just before leaving Athenas flat, she steals Athena's unpublished manuscript, and of course, passes it off as her own. And alas, June achieves the success she so desperately craves, it just happens that it's all based on lies.
I really enjoyed the chaos of the story, the protagonist's cynical I hate the world vibe made me laugh. The protagonist is an example of what it looks like to live in your own head, so detached from when reality ends and the fiction of ones own delusions begins. At points I did feel sorry for her, she was desperate for her moment, her big break, her chance to step out of Athena's shadow and into her own spotlight. But of course, her moral compass gets thrown out of the window in the process.
The ending was an interesting one, a part of me found it a tiny bit underwhelming. Nevethless, it was overall a fun, gripping read and I would recommend it for that reason.
Let me know your thoughts if you read it!
