"Yellowface": A Compelling Critique of Race, Writing, and Publishing

When I first found R. F. Kuang’s 2023 novel Yellowface on Goodreads while browsing Asian American books earlier this year, I immediately requested a hold for it at my library. Although it’s easy for writers to write about writers, I have a soft spot for those stories. Combined with the novel’s exploration of cultural appropriation and the invisibility of Asian American voices, Yellowface promised to be a compelling read.

Plot Summary

June Hayward and Athena Liu graduated together at Yale and had their debut novels published at the same time. But Athena skyrocketed to fame while June’s book didn’t even get a paperback release.

When June watches Athena die in a freak accident, she steals Athena’s latest draft — an experimental novel about Chinese laborers serving the British and French during World War I. She decides to rewrite Athena’s manuscript and sends it to her agent as her own work. The publisher accepts her book and rebrands June as Juniper Song — along with an ethnically ambiguous author photo.

As the book receives awards and ends up on the New York Times bestseller list, June can’t escape Athena’s shadow. Then evidence surfaces to expose June’s secret.

“I sometimes wonder how my work would be received if I pretended to be a man, or a white woman. The text could be exactly the same, but one might be a critical bomb and the other a resounding success. Why is that?” — R. F. Kuang, Yellowface

Review

R. F. Kuang’s prose grabbed me from the first page with the force of a thriller. The concept contains plenty of suspense and mystery. Although the story moves at a literary pace, the book is compulsively readable, emulating the smoothness of a well-crafted memoir. It was a surprise to learn Yellowface was Kuang’s first foray into literary fiction after writing fantasy.

In terms of characters, it’s subversive for Kuang to write about Asian Americans by choosing a white narrator. Although I expected to dislike June based on the book jacket description branding her a thief, Kuang does a great job fleshing out her motivations. I was able to empathize with her, relating to her insecurities as a writer. In contrast, Athena was an intriguing character we learn about through June’s perception. It’s interesting to see how Kuang gradually dismantles June’s idea of image of Athena, showing how they’re both flawed human beings.

As Kuang notes in the acknowledgements, Yellowface is “a horror story about loneliness in a competitive industry.” As a horror fan, I liked the buildup of psychological dread, especially as June is haunted by guilt and Athena’s metaphorical ghost. It’s a fitting way to examine the nature of their complicated relationship.

“What more can we want as writers than such immortality? Don’t ghosts just want to be remembered?” — R. F. Kuang, Yellowface

Thematically, the book tackles diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation in the publishing industry and more broadly in Western society. Yellowface asks who has the right to tell certain stories, especially if you aren’t a member of a certain community. Although June expresses guilt, the hate she gets on social media also highlights how the topic is more nuanced than the us vs. them divisiveness you see online.

The book made me reflect on how fiction and storytelling is an exercise of empathy. If we don’t allow others (whether writers or readers) to broaden their perspective, we miss out on the possibility for connection. And for marginalized writers, one shouldn’t be stuck to “write what you know” as if you’re obligated to speak on behalf of your community. That said, empathy only takes us so far. Existentially, we can never understand what it’s like to be someone else — marginalized or not. Lived experiences matters too. However, Kuang leaves the reader to form their own opinions and consider the complexities of the issue.

“Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges; it makes our world larger, not smaller.” — R. F. Kuang, Yellowface

I also appreciated Kuang naming the idea of writers stealing from others as part of the creative process. We pull inspiration from our lives and from those around us whether it’s snippets of conversation we hear or creating characters from people we know. Taken too far, then it can lead to harming others. This particular point reminded me of one of my favorite literary fiction books, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, where the titular character uses the life stories of loved ones for her films to the detriment of her relationships.

Ultimately, Yellowface suggests larger forces like capitalism might be at the core of the issue. Writers and artists can be an insecure bunch and external aspects like money and fame can interfere with artistic integrity.

“And once you’re writing for the market, it doesn’t matter what stories are burning inside you.” — R. F. Kuang, Yellowface

Overall, Kuang’s book lived up to my expectations. It’s one of my top books of 2023. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking literary novel, I recommend checking out Yellowface.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and the Amazon Associates Program. If you purchase this book through these links (Bookshop.org or Amazon.com), I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Originally published on Medium