Yellowface
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3.9 • 15 Ratings
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- €11.99
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- €11.99
Publisher Description
The No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller from literary sensation R.F. Kuang
*A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick*
*Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year*
‘Propulsive’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Razor-sharp’ TIME
‘A riot’ PANDORA SYKES
‘Hard to put down, harder to forget’ STEPHEN KING
Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.
White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.
Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
Deadly consequences…
What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.
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
‘A riot’ PANDORA SYKES
‘Propulsive’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Razor-sharp’ TIME
‘Darkly comic’ GQ
‘A wild ride’ STYLIST
‘Hard to put down, harder to forget’ STEPHEN KING
‘Incisive and compelling’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘Unforgettable’ WOMAN & HOME
‘Intriguing’ ELLE
‘Gripping’ THE TIMES
‘A must-read’ THE INDEPENDENT
‘Utterly diverting’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Pacy and provocative’ MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘Blistering’ SCOTSMAN
‘A hugely entertaining account of a brazen literary heist’ OBSERVER
‘Smart, satirical, nuanced… addictively entertaining’ i NEWS
‘Fast, furious, twisty, witty, page-turning… brilliant’ SINEAD MORIARTY
‘A wicked little satire of publishing, racial politics and icky internet culture’ THE TIMES
‘Sure to keep you wanting more’ HUFFINGTON POST
‘A spiky, snarky, shady, smart, sinister take on white privilege’ NIKKI MAY
‘Incredibly, brilliantly entertaining… What a treat’ CHARLOTTE PHILBY
‘Remarkable and incendiary’ WIZ WHARTON
‘A firecracker’ i PAPER
‘Well-observed and alarmingly convincing’ DAILY MAIL
‘Scathing, spiky and full of laugh-out-loud moments’ GLAMOUR
‘Transfixing’ ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS
‘Deeply, darkly hilarious’ MARIE CLAIRE
‘Gripping, fast-paced… You’ll read it in one sitting’ TOWN AND COUNTRY
‘A funny, engrossing read about what people do when they reckon they can get away with it’ ERIN KELLY
‘Sharp and funny… a superb insight into the publishing world’ PRIMA
‘Fiercely satirical’ BEST
‘Will leave readers reeling’ MONOCLE
‘Tackles cancel culture and cultural appropriation with razor-sharp wit’ LOUISE O’NEILL
‘A darkly satirical thriller about greed, truth, identity, and art’ PENG SHEPHERD
‘Timely… sure to be one you can’t put down’ GAL-DEM
‘Satirical and humorous’ COSMOPOLITAN
‘I was gasping out loud… Rebecca is a literary force to be reckoned with’ GEORGINA LAWTON
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.
