Someday, most likely very far off in the future, I will tackle R. F. Kuang's Babel, a certified door stop at over 500 pages long. For now, I decided to dive right into Yellowface, which promised to be a critique of the publishing world as it also deals with the loneliness of the writing process, and the isolating effect of social media.
The Situation: The last thing June Hayward wants to do is have a night out with her incredibly successful author friend Athena Liu, especially since her own literary career began and ended quietly, as not many took notice of her book. Liu, however, is the literary darling of the moment, and June does her best to mask her jealousy as her friend pays the bar tab and invites her back to her apartment. What follows is a freak accident that leads to Athena's death, shocking June to her core, but not quite enough to keep her from stealing the late author's unpublished (and never seen before) manuscript. Once June recovers from the trauma of witnessing Athena's demise - at least enough to function - she proceeds to complete the book, attach her name to it, and submit it for publication. For the first time, June will now know what is to be in the literary spotlight.
The Problem: June knows what she is done is dishonest, and being an avid consumer of social media, she knows exactly what would happen should she ever be found out. So she must keep her story straight, keep the detractors at bay, ignore the haters on Twitter, and deflect every suspicion that this story is not her own. But it does not take long for the situation to spiral out on control, and despite knowing the truth, June soon begins to view herself as the victim. It is not fair that she had to result to this since publishing does not seem to be interested in another white woman's fiction novel. And how dare people believe she should not be writing about the stories of Chinese laborers during World War I. Even as the hole gets deeper, June refuses to let go of the fame she has found by simply admitting the truth, sometimes even to herself.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction set in modern day. June may be the narrator and main protagonist, but she is also the villain as she steals the work of a recently deceased author and friend. What follows is an endless amount of justifications for what she has done (including the belief that she deserves this); real anger at those who dare challenge her; a sharp criticism of the publishing industry and just how books are chosen to be published and championed; and an examination of the role social media can play in making the lonely and isolated feel even more so, despite the thousands of likes and retweets/reposts a message may receive. Racism is of course explored, as well as the idea of cultural appropriation, and the fear of irrelevance.
My Verdict: This is a story. It is the kind of book that takes guts to write, and only works if the author goes for broke and does not hold back. June Hayward knows what she has done is wrong, but as long as she can benefit from it, she will keep going with the lie. It takes very little for her to justify what she had done, at one point even asserting that Athena would have wanted this, otherwise the book would have never seen the light of day. While June's actions are deplorable, Kuang takes it one important step further by examining the real fear, which is to live a 'normal' life not in the spotlight. June does not want a desk job, and a respectable but quiet existence. The last thing she wants is to open Twitter and see the newest, hottest author enjoying the literary spotlight instead of her, and that kind of says everything. With the additional exploration of the publishing business, this is a book that readers will not be able to put down through to the final pages.
Favorite Moment: There are many moments when June proves she is not the superior person she wants to believe she is. Some things are shameful and inexcusable, until they serve her own purposes.
Favorite Character: There is something slightly not okay with pretty much every character in this book, Athena included. If there is anyone I genuinely feel for it is Athena's mother, who inherits her daughters writing notebooks, but does not have the heart to ever read them.
Recommended Reading: If readers are ready to tackle another book that does not hold back, I recommend The Sellout by Paul Beatty.
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