Release Date: May 25th 2023
Publisher: HarperFiction
Pages: 350
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: I received an E-ARC of this book via Netgalley
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Review

I really enjoyed Rebecca Kuang’s The Poppy War and have been very intrigued by Babel, but haven’t yet had the chance to pick it up. Her newest release Yellowface is completely different, this story follows June Hayward, a struggling author who witnesses the death of her friend and literary star Athena Liu, June decides to steal the manuscript of her latest novel – a story about Chinese labourers in World War I. June passes the novel off as her own and her publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song and she becomes an instant bestseller. As June begins to think she’s in the clear evidence begins to surface that will bring everything crashing down, but how far will June go to protect her secret and the stardom she feels she was destined for.

Yellowface is completely unlike anything I’ve read before. I read this book practically in one sitting. It’s such a compelling read. You know from the outset that things are going to go badly for June, but you cannot look away. Kuang’s prose is sharp and the plot is well executed and I loved the way the story got more tense and horrifying as it drew to its conclusion. I did a Master’s degree in Publishing Studies so I was completely fascinated by the way Kuang has depicted the publishing industry in this book. Yellowface really highlights how brutal the industry can be.

June is a really interesting protagonist. She is very unlikeable but has a very strong narrative voice and her ability to justify her actions is so fascinating to watch. The story focuses on themes of racism and cultural appropriation, not just in publishing but in everyday life. Yellowface is a well crafted, gripping story that will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading. Yellowface is absolutely a book you do not want to miss.