Yellowface

I've been making an active effort this year to read books that are actually released in 2023. I found a few "most anticipated" lists and this was on most of them. I haven't read any other books by Kuang, but I have heard good things about them and they are on my to-read pile, plus this book has a great cover and provoking title. I put this on hold at the library a couple months ago and I was able to check out the audiobook on the actual day of release.

The premise is great: a successful Asian-American author dies unexpectedly, leaving behind an unpublished manuscript which is then claimed by a white friend as her own. Unfortunately, it doesn't explore it's titular issue as deeply as I think it could have. It is more just used as a passing point of tension, among other things.

This was well written, but a lot pulpier than I was expecting. The climax in particular I thought was cheesy and unsatisfying. However, the book does move at a brisk pace though and it was easy to keep turning pages.

The story is told from a first person perspective and the protagonist is extremely unlikable and makes unethical decisions constantly. She is not stupid nor ignorant, so she has at least some semblance of logic to justify her actions. She is entitlement personified. She thinks of herself as liberal, but she's more of a center-right "both sides have good points" sort of person. This can be an interesting perspective to tell a story from, but also makes it hard to latch onto as a reader at times.

I think there are a lot of really great ideas just below the surface here that didn't quite reveal themselves as fully as I was hoping. I'm curious to check out more of Kuang's work now though.

I can't believe I put this one off for so long because I loved it, even though it was far from an easy, light read. The constricting feeling of anxiety had a hold on me throughout the whole thing. I hated June so very, very much, but I was still rooting for her. It was such a confusing feeling.
I can't give it more than 4 stars because it had way too many references that already feel dated. There were also some plot points that didn't make much sense to me, but overall, it's definitely a must-read.

Look, this was a good book, but I'm really glad its over. The vitriol and toxicity of social media in the novel (and let's be honest - in real life) gave me some very real anxiety - thank god I'm a reader and not a writer (haha).