Reviewer: Kelly Keene

Synopsis: Kuang’s Yellowface is a narrative that uses the unreliable narrator to jump into the logic of someone who might appropriate another author’s work. June Hayward watches as her “friend” (although object of obsession, or envy might be more appropriate) dies from eating too many pancakes while intoxicated. Athena Lui is a successful author who approaches the subject matter of her writing with nuance and care. After Lui dies, Hayward steals the last completed, yet unpublished manuscript she wrote, edits it, and publishes it as her own work. Using the strategically ambiguous pen name “Junipur Song”, Hayward then goes on to get the fame and recognition she never had before Lui died.

Memorable Quote: “But that’s what I need right now: a child’s blind faith that the world is so simple, and that if I didn’t mean to do a bad thing, then none of this is my fault.” This is a quote said by the main character that really encapsulates how many people justify not taking accountability for the harm they do. Even if our intentions are good, does not mean we are not responsible for the impact of our choices. 

My take:I thought this novel was very clever. It sometimes feels painful to read, when we’re put inside the head of an entitled greedy narcissist. This is Kuang’s main point though. Just as painful as it is to watch Engar Allen Poe’s protagonist in A Tell Tale Heart  confess to a crime he committed, while haunted by a beating heart only he can hear, I found myself arguing out loud with June Hayward every time she had a chance at redemption, but doubled down on her own self indulgence instead. Kuang does an excellent job of turning the reader against her protagonist early on, so that the rest of her decision making throughout the novel becomes a clear critique of the logic people use to steal, “borrow”, or even colonize authors of color. Athena, the true author of the manuscript June publishes, is an allusion to the Greek Goddess Athena. Athene is the god of war, but also the god of wisdom and craft. This character had the wisdom and follow through to research and craft stories that honored the voices of those that could have been erased in history. To use this almost divine gift to pad the pockets of someone who is undeserving, heightens the impact of June’s sin. When we follow June’s thought process through every choice she makes, we see how appropriation starts with insecurity and jealousy. Even before Athena dies, June’s internal monologue questions whether she was deserving of the success she’s already earned. Entitlement is the gasoline on the fire that keeps enabling June to follow through with publishing and promoting the manuscript she didn’t even write. We also see other enablers in the publishing industry. June isn’t the only one responsible for creating a racially problematic persona. Her publishing team encourage this, and do it so casually, Kuang implies that this might be a common and systemic issue in the publishing industry. In the second half of the novel, June meets with fans and goes on press tours with people who are disappointed in her representation of stories they thought were genuine. We \ get to see the fallout that this carelessness has on other people. Fans, readers, or people whose stories are most affected by mainstream media portrayal feel the impact of June’s betrayal in a way I don’t think even June could ever fully understand. One of the more poignant take-aways from this book’s ending, is that June can never fully see and admit to the harm that she’s caused. If we are too stubborn to recognize these moments of appropriation, take accountability and then take action to repair the damage, then we are just as bad as June.