Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is about many things - racism in life and on the page in publishing, frustration and jealousy that is amplified in part because of social media, as well as plagiarism and cultural appropriation.

To me, this book shows what it feels like to be published and reviewed. The main character Juniper Song Hayward brought out a debut novel, but never felt successful or fulfilled because her frenemy was so much more successful. RF Kuang does a brilliant job of showing how people never feel good enough because they are constantly comparing themselves to others.

As I read Yellowface, I couldn't help but consider some of the reviews on Goodreads. Long, thought-out critiques that give the author so little credit for taking on an entire industry. These reviewers spent so much time thinking about this book and engaging with it, yet gave the book only two stars. Which underlines one of the themes of the book.

This was my favorite quote:
"Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic. Writing is creating something out of nothing, is opening doors to other lands. Writing gives you power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much. To stop writing would kill me.... And as miserable as it makes me, I'll cling to that magic for as long as I live."



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