Yellowface — R. F. Huang
William Morrow & Company | Hardcover | May 16, 2023
The Gist
A desperate writer steals a manuscript from her Asian friend, sells the manuscript for a boatload of money, and is willing to do anything to die with the lie and keep her literary fame.
Read If You Like
R. F. Kuang
Psychological Thriller
Strong first-person narratives
If you’re a writer and/or actively involved in the writing community
Verdict: Buy It, Read It
Athena Liu’s literary career is everything June Hayward wants. The respect, the money, the Netflix deal, the large social media following. The problem is that no matter how hard June tries she can’t get any traction. Desperate to have her day in the sun, June does the unthinkable: She steals Athena’s latest manuscript after she dies in a freak accident and submits it under her name. The manuscript is a bestseller and propels June into the writing stardom she’s always wanted. But it doesn’t take long for people to take to Twitter and challenge the authenticity of the novel and June herself. Despite the online harassment, death threats, and constant paranoia, June does everything in her power to maintain the lie. Yellowface takes a long, hard look at diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation in publishing, as well as the volatility of social media. The jacket copy calls it “satire,” but plenty in the literary community know Kuang’s plot isn’t as hyperbolized as some would prefer to think. The depths of June’s deceit are enough to make readers cringe, but the first-person narration is so immersive it’s hard not to keep turning the page to see what June will do next and if she will finally get caught. Kuang has pulled off an incredibly hard feat in Yellowface: Making an unlikeable character irresistible.
