Yellowface - R.F. Kuang

July 17, 2023 8:30 AM

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang
posted by soelo (4 comments total)

Ooh. I read Kuang's Poppy War and initially loved it but had to nope out of the rest of the series because of how desperately grim it was, but I adored her writing style. This seems like... maybe more my pace.
posted by obfuscation at 10:59 AM on July 17, 2023

I read this a few weeks ago, and really liked it! It was well-written, funny, and (as an occasional dabbler in the publishing industry) frequently made me feel uncomfortable. Highly recommended, and will read again.

This was the first of Kuang's books for me, and next up will be Babel. which will also be my first dive into the "dark academia" subgenre.
posted by JohnFromGR at 7:02 AM on July 18, 2023

I too found this very funny in places. The group of white authors in her text thread were so predictable. Babel was so good and it is the reason I read Yellowface. Check out the fanfare thread after you read it!
posted by soelo at 1:33 PM on July 18, 2023

oh my GOD

this is SAVAGE

so rf kuang’s SF work is notable for the… scope of violence? everything from finely detailed social hierarchy maintenance to the glassing of a large, populated island nation.

this book is that preoccupation, transmuted into exquisite, angry, finely-built satire. so cutting, so controlled. subjects of the satire are variously — and mostly socially rather physically — damaged, exiled, or absolutely vapourized.

i loved it, in case you can’t tell.
posted by sixswitch at 2:12 PM on October 1