The List / Yellowface

by Yomi Adegoke, R.F. Kuang

Please Note That The Following Individual Books As Per Original ISBN and Cover Image In this Listing shall be Dispatched The List By Yomi Adegoke, Yellowface By Rebecca F Kuang 2 Books Collection ONLINE RUMOURS. REAL LIFE TROUBLE. Ola Olajide, a high-profile journalist, is marrying the love of her life in one month's time. Young, beautiful, successful – she and her fiancé Michael seem to have it all. That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same ‘Oh my god, have you seen The List?’ It began as a list of anonymous allegations about abusive men. Now it has been published online. Ola made her name breaking exactly this type of story. She would usually be the first to cover it, calling for the men to be fired. Except today, Michael’s name is on there. Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody. White lies. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. Dark humour. But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. Deadly consequences… What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

720 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2023

About the author

Yomi Adegoke is a British journalist and author. She has written for The Guardian, The Independent and the Pool.
Of Nigerian heritage, Adegoke was born in East London and raised in Croydon. She attended the University of Warwick and studied law.
She published her debut novel, The List, in 2023.

Reviews

[Kim Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in a day. Beyond thought provoking

[Sarajane1776 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not an accurate review because I couldn't get past the first 30 minutes on the audio. The accent was hard for me to understand, and the subject matter was not relevant to me. Seems to be about some dude who got put on a list of abusers or something, and his fiancé blocks him without any explanation. Not relatable. So I deleted and hit next. I don't understand all the blitz recommended by the NYT? Really? Debut novel? Well good luck with that.

[Anne R · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story went on and on to an unexpected end. However, I read to the end because the book was recommended by a friend. The List does highlight how information can destroy a person's life.

[Deborah Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a very clever book and certainly well written and I leant a lot about the cut throat industry it takes to get a book published. I was horrified at the awful social media bullying and very saddened by this. Not really the type of story I would read.

[Shraddha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read a literary fiction novel, "Yellowface" by Rebecca F. Kuang, a Chinese American author who had previously written fantasy fiction but ventured into literary fiction for the first time with this novel. The book is about an unlikable character named June, who is grappling in the literary industry.

After the death of her friend, Athena Liu, she steals her manuscript, goes public with it, and becomes an overnight star. Although June worked on editing the manuscript since it was a first draft, she took all the credit and did not mention the original author. This decision haunts her for life.

June received a lot of hate comments, especially because the book she wrote, called "The Last Front," was about the Chinese labor corps, and June's connection to Chinese culture/history was limited (June did not write the manuscript, Athena wrote it, who was a Chinese-American). This led to significant backlash, particularly from the Chinese community, questioning her right to write such a novel.

Throughout the story, June is haunted by her dead friend, hallucinating Athena’s presence because of her guilt. The situation worsens when Athena's ex-boyfriend, who knew Athena planned to publish the manuscript before her death, starts harassing June on social media.

Set in the internet era 2023, the book highlights the impact of social media, trolling, and hate comments on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Written during the pandemic, the author emphasized how social media became the primary mode of communication during that time.

Kuang also discusses the loneliness of writing, a reflection of her characters who are also lonely and striving to succeed in the literary world.

Writing is a lonely job - it’s just you and the words and you have to get the job done. But it’s important to have a storng community around you, few close friends and family to keep you sane.”

The book offers an honest look at the publishing industry's challenges, including dealing with agents and the importance of having a supportive one. Overall, it's a good read, particularly for those interested in literary fiction or aspiring writers curious about an author's life and journey to publishing. But there were a few details that I found repetitive and could be omitted.

I read several interviews with Rebecca F. Kuang to understand her inspiration for writing this book. As a Chinese-American who migrated to the US at four years old, she has faced discrimination and criticism throughout her life. Some people claimed she only succeeded due to diversity checkboxes rather than her talent. This experience inspired her to write "Yellowface" and create the character June.

Kuang spent her career writing deeply on reading about unlikable characters, which is evident in the depth of June's character. The writing style is conversational which feels like you are talking to a friend.

[Vani · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's too much of rant instead of focusing on writing. However it gives a good sneak peak into what goes on in the writing world and that writer's also are normal people with insecurities and faults

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard the start of this on the radio so thought I would read it to see what happens, the start is probably the best bit, overlong.

[Girija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a sneak peak of what goes on in the writing world.

[Zosia Targańska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca mogłaby mi sprzedać instrukcje obsługi wody albo gówno w papierku i i, tak bym to kupiła i się zachwycała. Współczesna Ikona Literatury

[Tayla Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and the start and end of the book had me gripped with the story line and appreciation for the themes raised throughout however there was a middle section which felt as though it wasn’t really going anywhere for a while.