By Maira Zaidi '27, Sidwell Friends School
I recently finished reading Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, a satirical novel published in 2023 that provides a hilarious angle at the publishing industry, writing, and race. Every time I entered a bookstore, its bright yellow cover and jarring title caught my eye. After finally reading it, I have no regrets.
June Hayward, a commercially unsuccessful White author, witnesses the death of her friend, Athena Liu, an Asian American author who is an industry darling. She steals the unfinished manuscript of Athena and publishes as her own. The book instantly becomes a bestseller, but June’s dream life is fickle, and the consequences of her actions come back to haunt her.
While most of the book was agonizing as I cringed at June’s terrible decisions, I also cackled at the unfiltered voice of June. She is extremely jealous of Athena, who has immensely more success than her. Jealousy is a universal feeling, but for writers especially, it can be hard to not compare yourself to others on the subjective basis of popularity or awards. As a White woman, she feels that she doesn’t have the “it” factor or intrigue that a person of color can bring. While I was never fooled by June’s actions, I did sometimes sympathize with her. And that brings me to my next point: voice.
The most impressive part of the book is its voice. Fully immersed in June’s unreliable mind, there are times I really, really wanted to believe in her. For example, she changes her pen name from June Hayward to Juniper Song. While Song is technically her middle name, it is also a traditionally Korean name. June knows that full well, yet she never directly admits it. Kuang masterfully steers us in the direction of trying to see the good and honest in June’s actions, but ultimately, we as readers do not fall for her facade. The beauty of books with an unreliable narrator is that it forces your mind to wrestle with the words on the page.
Yellowface, ultimately, is an eye-opener into the modern publishing industry and social media. References to Twitter and celebrities are rampant, and while I usually dislike such references in fiction, Yellowface executes it perfectly. It is not meant to be a timeless novel--it’s a snapshot of our world now. It criticizes the publishing industry for its control on writers and what kind of stories they are allowed to publish based on their race or gender. In an interview, R.F. Kuang herself described how she dislikes being characterized as a “token” writer based on her race.
If you aren’t afraid to feel a little uncomfortable, Yellowface is a whirlwind of a book that forces you to examine any preexisting notions about writing, diversity, or publishing. While it is classified as a satire, it can hit close to home sometimes, especially if you’re a writer or a person of color. I would give it a four out of five stars, because the ending does leave you feeling a little like, “that’s it?” It can also feel very meta at times, as in, you can get confused over whether you’re still in June’s voice or whoever is writing it. But overall, Yellowface had me rushing to turn the page, and provides …
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