Yellowface
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3.7 • 528 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The Number One Global Sensation
*Foyle’s Fiction Book of the Year*
*Amazon Book of the Year*
*Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year*
*Fiction Book of the Year 2024 – British Book Awards*
‘Addictive’ Grazia
‘Hugely entertaining’ Observer
‘Provocative’ Mail on Sunday
THIS IS ONE HELL OF A STORY.
IT’S JUST NOT HERS TO TELL.
When failed writer June Hayward witnesses her rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, she sees her opportunity… and takes it.
So what if it means stealing Athena’s final manuscript?
So what if it means ‘borrowing’ her identity?
And so what if the first lie is only the beginning…
Finally, June has the fame she always deserved. But someone is about to expose her…
What happens next is entirely everyone else's fault.
‘The book that everyone is talking about’ Glamour
‘Ingenious, astute, hugely entertaining’ David Nicholls
‘Breathtakingly clever on jealousy, talent, success, and who gets to tell which story’ Elizabeth Day
‘Hard to put down. Harder to forget’ Stephen King
R.F. Kuang’s book Yellowface was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 04-06-23
R.F. Kuang’s book Yellowface was a #5 New York Times bestseller w/c 04-06-23
Reviews
‘Propulsive’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Razor-sharp’ TIME
‘Blistering’ SCOTSMAN
‘I guarantee it will stay with you’ AFUA HIRSCH
‘Strikingly topical’ GUARDIAN
‘Scathing, spiky, and full of laugh-out-loud moments’ GLAMOUR
‘A rollicking good read’ WOMAN’S WEEKLY
‘Sharp and funny’ PRIMA
‘Wickedly funny’ EVENING STANDARD
‘A firecracker of a book’ i PAPER
‘A riot’ PANDORA SYKES
‘Darkly hilarious’ MARIE CLAIRE
‘Uncomfortable and addictive… a must-read’ INDEPENDENT
‘Tackles cancel culture and cultural appropriation with razor-sharp wit’ LOUISE O’NEILL
‘A clever, pacy tale’ SARA PASCOE
'Tense, modern… a brilliant exploration of the literary world' AISLING BEA
‘Darkly comic’ GQ
‘A wild ride’ STYLIST
‘A wicked little satire of publishing, racial politics and icky internet culture’ THE TIMES, Best Summer Reads
‘Utterly diverting’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Unforgettable’ WOMAN & HOME
'Bright and witty and sly… fabulous' RUSSELL T DAVIES
‘A spiky, snarky, shady, smart, sinister take on white privilege’ NIKKI MAY
‘Incisive and compelling… sweeps the reader up on a thrilling ride, but leaves us thinking about the questions raised for days’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘This acute, fast-paced thriller will have literary insiders nodding in recognition and outsiders gasping in shock’ THE BOOKSELLER
‘Not since Martin Amis’s The Information has the venality, self-regard and absurdity of the writing life been so gloriously skewered’ THE CRITIC
‘Once you start, you won’t be able to put it down’ HEAT
‘Well-observed and alarmingly convincing’ DAILY MAIL
'Remarkable and incendiary' WIZ WHARTON
'A dark, engrossing page-turner’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Rebecca F. Kuang pivots elegantly away from the intricately plotted fantasy works that established her as an author with Yellowface, a tight interrogation of cultural appropriation by way of fiendish satire. Kuang’s novel centres on Juniper, a struggling writer festering with jealousy in the shadow of her college friend and literary darling, Athena Liu, whose success has been seemingly ordained by a higher power which Juniper has so far been unable to attain. When Athena chokes to death in a freak incident after a night out, Juniper steals her latest manuscript and begins to rework it as her own. What follows is a maniacal unravelling of Juniper, the publishing industry, identity politics and privilege, as Juniper’s fortunes change overnight, finally putting her in the spotlight she has so cravenly desired. Her deceit—of herself and others—catches up to her, of course, exposing the hypocrisy at the heart of both the novel and its main players, but not before Kuang deftly raises intriguing questions and levels some damning truths about modern culture and the ways in which race does and doesn’t matter. Juniper is relatable in her frustrations but an unreliable narrator, and Kuang’s skill lies in almost making the reader sympathise with her position before severing the connection with a razor-sharp observation that reminds us of how deeply flawed her perception is. By rights, spending so much time in the mind of such a truly insufferable person shouldn’t be any fun at all, but Yellowface is most of all absurdly compelling and a wickedly enjoyable read.
Customer Reviews
Good but not great
Thought the themes where a little predictable all throughout to be honest. I felt the protangist was a bit 2D.
It was alright glad I read it but feel the hype wasn’t quite worth it.
Way too long
I really enjoyed this book at first but very quickly it became repetitive and drawn out. The twist at the end was cringeworthy and quite frankly, just silly. Wasn’t for me.
Patronising
The premise of this book sounded really interesting, but the writing was so juvenile.The characters were caricatures and the plot largely predictable and lacking in nuance. In the book's defense, l found the ending surprisingly unexpected.