Face

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At the most basic of levels, Yellowface is a mash of various genres that follows the passive aggressive “friendship” of Athena and June, two authors in the publishing industry with very different levels of success. Athena has received her big break while June has remained a struggling author. In an absurd (truly absurd if I’m being quite honest haha) turn of events, Athena chokes while engaging in a pancake eating contest with June. After her death, June makes the decision to steal one of her manuscripts and pass it off as her own. What follows next is chaotic descent into the world of publishing and the book community. The book is set in a fairly ethnically-diverse area of London and—before his accident—Martin is relatively prejudiced towards the majority of people who are different to him. As a white male, Martin had not really come across any level of adversity in his life until he was scarred, but after he finds life more challenging. His friends begin to drift away from him, his girlfriend leaves him and, generally, people start treating him differently because of the way he looks with the burns. The appropriation of history, the historicization of the past, the narrativization of society, all of which give the novel its force, include the accumulation and differentiation of social space, space to be used for social purposes.’ So even though I didn’t agree with all of Kuang’s satirical commentary in Yellowface (e.g., I think Asian Americans should be asked hard, critical questions about glorifying whiteness both in dating partners and in other areas of life), I respect that she seized a popular topic in the publishing industry and made a novel out of it. The exaggerated nature of satire doesn’t always lend itself to a deeper emotional connection with the characters or the story, though I don’t think a deep emotional connection is necessarily the point of this novel. Overall, while I don’t see this novel breaking into my top ten list at the end of this year, I found it an interesting read and one that may be fun to discuss.

What does colonialism do to a person? As a non-white person growing up in the States, and disliking it, what made me so interested in the UK as a child? Even now? And even more importantly, as a Vietnamese American, what made me so interested in France? And more so in recent years, China and Japan? It's a hard introspective look, to be sure. No one is likable, including Athena, but I was glued to the story as I alternately laughed out loud and recoiled in disgust. She explored every possible aspect or every question you might have, every side you could possibly take on this subject, doesn't leave much room for the reviewer, but I'm not complaining (I like my thoughts planted) Discover creators, small businesses and communities who can help you dive deeper into the things you care about Whether you’re looking for a spark of inspiration with reels or want to dive deeper into something you already love with Marketplace or in groups, you can discover ideas, experiences and people that fuel your interests and help you make progress on the things that matter to you on Facebook.I did like his friends from after the accident the Jamaican sisters and Anthony. I thought that they were interesting and unique characters and I would have loved to learn more about them. which was a big thing that irked me with tpw. people would make criticisms of rfk's narrative choices and plot points and the response would be ‘well, rin is an unreliable narrator!’ yes, but there is such thing as framing and context which are important things to consider when trying to figure out what an author actually is saying, intentionally or not. but anyways.)

In conclusion, an amazing foray into general fiction by R.F. Kuang. I swear this woman can do no wrong. Give her whatever topic to write about and I bet she can create something incredible out of the most boring premise. I think it's impressive how she took these modern controversies and wrote them into a twisty unputdownable story. It seems to me like it's a new experiment from her but at the same time a really smart jab at publishing too. the only reason this isnt getting 5 stars is because of a personal problem. i have a really weird pet peeve of real world things mentioned in fiction. i like realistic/contemporary stories, but pop culture references bug the crap out of me. so all of the talk of US politics and presidents, very real famous authors, even the commentary about goodreads and tiktok, took me out of the story.Now, she is struggling to write a second book. “I need to write about things that white people don’t see on a daily basis.” This is perhaps the most enlightening line in Kuang’s book — exposing a character who wants all the cultural benefits of being a minority while retaining her privileges as a white person. BABEL Yeah, it's not one of those 'if you like this you'll like that' situations. This book is different in every aspect, if I hadn't known I wouldn't think it was written by the same person. BUT IT'S EQUALLY AS BRILLIANT. Doesn't that really picture the talent and originality of this writer? One of the standout aspects of the book is the author's astute commentary on the perils faced by writers, such as internet trolls who use their freedom of speech rights to berate and belittle their creations. The story skillfully examines the commodification of writers, where their looks, personality, color of their skin and online presence become as important as their writing itself. This book truly blew my mind. I was unable to put it down, yet also needed to take breaks due to the chaotic and anxiety-inducing experience of living within Juniper's mind. The character evokes strong emotions, including frustration towards her misogyny, blind ambition, and obnoxious justifications for her actions. It all boils down to self-interest…If publishing is rigged, you might as well make sure it's rigged in your favor.’

She’s using the pen name Juniper Song to pretend to be Chinese American. She’s taken new author photos to look more tan and ethnic, but she’s as white as they come. June Hayward, you are a thief and a liar. You’ve stolen my legacy, and now you spit on my grave.” Is this book satire? Obviously and not quite so much. What I mean is, it’s clearly satire, but to an extent that these characters are not exact flesh and blood, but the issues discussed in this book are far from farcical. Most reviewers have noticed the central themes in Yellowface rearing their ugly head in the real world, especially in the past few years, so it is refreshing and exhilarating to read a fictional novel encompassing these issues in a way that only R.F. Kuang could create.What astounded me most was how legitimately real her voice was. Hats off to Rebecca Kuang. She killed this.