“Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic. Writing is creating something out of nothing, is opening doors to other lands. Writing gives you power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much. To stop writing would kill me.”
Juniper Hayward and Athena Liu debuted the same year. Their books were both supposed to gain accolades, win awards, and guarantee both authors long, storied careers. But only Athena has made it onto that path. June’s book reviewed well but not much else. And now, trying to figure out her next thing, June can’t help but think the market is against her. Who wants to read June’s story about a white girl like her when the current buzzwoods in the publishing industry are all about diversity and inclusion?
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June isn’t sure what to do. She definitely didn’t have anything to do with the death. But is anyone going to believe that? And if she’s the only person there, doesn’t that mean it’s her duty–as an author–to help shape the narrative? It’s not her fault if in calling Athena her friend the media and the public assume there’s a deeper connection than the social obligation inherent to acquaintanceship. Besides, acquaintances can be friends. It’s true.
Then Juniper finds Athena’s latest finished manuscript about the work of Chinese laborers during World War I, it seems like a waste to leave it unpublished. Juniper can revise just a few things and give it the audience it deserves. With her name on the cover, of course, since Juniper is the one who tweaked the final product. Juniper’s last book didn’t sell well. So it only makes sense to rebrand with a new pen name for this book that is going in a new direction. And if her new pen name is Juniper Song then why not also let her publisher curate a photo to match that “ambiguously ethnic” nomenclature. The truth is subjective so it’s not like she’s really lying in any way that matters. As Juniper’s profile starts to rise she finally gets the fame and fortune she always knew she richly deserved. This subject matter is important. It’s significant. So really, Juniper is doing everyone a favor getting it published. Isn’t she?
As rumors begin to circulate online and within the industry that Juniper’s work isn’t her own, Juniper has to scramble to protect what she thinks she’s entitled to in Yellowface (2023) by RF Kuang.
Yellowface is a standalone contemporary novel. Kuang perfectly blends suspense and satire in this sendoff of the publishing industry and all of its foibles. Narrated by Juniper with varying levels of honesty, the story slowly unravels as readers get to the truth and also the core of Juniper’s delusions of grandeur and deep-seated entitlement.
With many plot points feeling like they could be ripped from the headlines, Yellowface operates as a novel in its own right while also functioning as an incisive piece of meta-fiction that begs the question: is it still cheating if the game is rigged? Readers with a long history following publishing news and scandals will be able to draw through lines from Juniper’s missteps and misdeeds to actual authors with similar issues ranging from problematic to criminal.
Yellowface is a pithy and thoughtful read whose short page count belies the many layers within the text. Come for the author behaving badly, stay for the weighty ethical questions stemming from Juniper’s obscurations and plagiarism. Recommended.
Possible Pairings: Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews, The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst, Best Offer Wins by Maria Kashino, The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li, The Award by Matthew Pearl, All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan, Colored Television by Danzy Senna, I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto, Public Domain by Chip Zdarsky
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