Okay, I’m sitting in front of my laptop, having just finished this book, and have so much to say. I’m going to try and word my review as much clarity as I can muster, because my thoughts are all over the place. Yellowface won “Goodreads Choice Awards 2023” for best fiction. If that wasn’t reason enough for me pick it up, all the critical acclaim definitely was. So, when the audiobook popped up on Spotify, my husband and I began listening to it during one of our walks. By the time we returned from our hour-long walk, I knew I needed the physical copy. An audio-book was simply not going to be satiating enough.

This novel revolves around Juniper Hayward. She is a relatively unknown author but is friends with the famous Athena Liu. Liu took the literary world by storm with her debut novel and continues to be one of America’s most revered literary darling. So when one night, after June and Athena meet up for a few rounds of whiskey, Athena suddenly chokes on a piece of pancake and dies, June does the one thing that seems most logical to her. She picks up Athena’s latest draft and decides to claim it as her own. Overnight, she is surrounded by the fame and recognition she has always desired. What she doesn’t realize, is the fame comes hand in hand with the competitive and lonely space that is America’s publishing Industry.

To me, a reader of literary fiction, this is one of those books that reaffirms your belief in the power of literature and gives you reason to read more. What I most liked about this book was the author’s writing. She has a mature voice, and her words are sophisticated – it’s evident that she has mastered her craft. The book has a fresh voice full of dark satire, and is unlike any other book I have read of late. Much of this book is descriptive, filled with prose rather than dialogue. A lot of the times, especially in fantasy novels, authors use characterization to make these info-dumps more palatable. Surprisingly, Kuang avoids this method entirely and yet succeeds in keeping these passages engaging.

The author excels in depicting June Hayward’s character. As a reader, you know she’s in the wrong, and yet by the end of the book, you find yourself hoping she emerges unscathed from it all. The author skillfully enables her reader to empathize with the protagonist and at the same time, she lets you see what is principally wrong with her. The moment she has a taste of fame, June becomes agreeable and is eager to please her publishers. To the extent that she seems almost oblivious to the extensive editing of the book to be more digestible to its western readers. However, June has had a somewhat troubled childhood, and the lack of support from her family, combined with her college experiences with Athena, the author subtly rationalizes June’s motive in all this.

Another aspect I want to address is how the author tackles the concepts of immigration, diversity and racism in America. The prose isn’t radical in any way, the author refrains from dictating what is right or wrong but is more observational in her approach. Kuang’s experiences in the publishing industry are intricately woven throughout the narrative, giving her reader something to think about. She sheds light on how publishing, at the end of the day is a money-making business. This narrative, revolving around a white woman who appropriates the work of a Chinese-American author, questions your understanding of race and inequality.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. The pacing in this book is excellent, although the middle third may seem slightly slower compared to the beginning, the author picks it back up in the final portion. I’m thrilled to say that this book is my first 5 star read this year. This is my first book by this author and she has truly impressed me. And that ending! I was on the edge of my seat for the last 30 pages and even the slightly underwhelming climax is not going to make me deduct a star. If there’s any real issue for me, it’s the frequency with which the author uses the word ‘virtiol’.