Are you into complicated women? Or are you Asian and are so done as heck at small microaggressions directed towards you? Or are you just someone who wants to read an addictive good book? If you say yes to these, then you’re definitely the target audience for this novel.
Yellowface is the story of Juniper “June Song” Hayward, a white woman who happens to be the friend of the beautiful, rich, and prodigious writer Athena Liu, who also happens to be Asian. When Liu dies in a freak accident, June takes the manuscript, writes and publishes the novel as hers – and digs herself into a maze of mess and scandal. It also unleashes a narrative with the following questions:
- How important truly is authenticity in writing?
- What ethics are involved when writing narratives, especially if you write about experiences that are not really yours to begin with?
A Messy Protagonist
Since this is my first RF Kuang novel, there’s one thing I’m sure: she’s not scared to write a complicated and messy female protagonist. Internalized racism, insecurity, jealousy and a desperation for success define the heart of June Hayard, the protagonist of Yellowface. She has issues that tie back to her mother.
Athena and June foil each other; Athena is brilliant and the darling of the community, well-off, beautiful and Asian. Meanwhile June is not. Despite having debuted in writing the same year, Athena has seen success and June is struggling to find any sort of recognition in writing. Their one-off friendship is a one-sided rivalry.
They are not the closest, despite moving in smaller circles. But June has always idolized and felt jealous of Athena, which gives the story some homoerotic undertones.
Complicated Relationship Between June and Athena
The relationship between Athena and June drives June’s motivations, aside from June’s inflated sense of self. Athena is the cause of her insecurities as a writer, and yet June is willing to overlook the unethical things that Athena has done, such as stealing narrative ideas from museums and her own ex-boyfriend.
When June doubles down on her success as an author writing Asian narratives, Athena’s ghost haunts her.
Discussions About Race and Narrative
The case of Athena Liu’s success in publishing is interesting, but so is the legacy she leaves behind. Although she was considered successful, her team wanted her to write Asian narratives and not experiment with other topics and genres that she wanted to do.
In June’s process of getting The Last Front published, her team became aware that the narrative is Asian and suggested that her posturing to seem more Asian would give her more credibility. This gives her an avenue in Asian writer workshops.
Along the way, in the form of Candice, an Asian editorial assistant who is incensed about June’s errors, and other Asian writers who call June out regularly, the question is asked: Is there a right way to craft narratives that aren’t from your experience? How can non-white characters produce non-racist stories that are set in Asia?
Ethics in Publishing
The discourse about race, identity, and producing stories, of course, ties into the ethics of publishing and writing. The sad reality at the end of Yellowface is that publishers do not really care that the work June put out is plagiarized; they’re just after the money from her work.
The Lack of Discussion About Privilege and Social Class
One of the more defining parts of the novel is how Athena is set to be someone well-off, and also June points out that Athena has lived a more sheltered and privileged life than the other Asians in the novel like Candice. The sad parts are, regardless of the odds which are really similar to PBA odds as it boils down to luck and skill and of course, race and social class, is how social class can affect the ability to publish. Sadly, it’s not really expounded or talked about in the novel.
Wrapping Up
Yellowface is a book that has depth and plenty of fun, and works as a satirical thriller. It’s a novel about authorship, race, and narrative. It’s also, ultimately, about the loneliness as a writer without a support system. Happy reading!
