About the Book:
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When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.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.
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Released June 2023
My Thoughts:
I think this novel is totally worth the hype. It was my book club pick for July and our opinions on it varied - much like readers across the internet - but we all agreed it was worth the read. I found it deliciously shocking, there seemed to be no limits to what June would do. I got a lot of enjoyment out of being shocked by her behaviour and looked forward to each time I could sit down and have a good read.
'It's not fraud, what we're doing. We're just suggesting the right credentials, so that readers take me and my story seriously, so that nobody refuses to pick up my work because of some outdated preconceptions about who can write what. And if anyone makes assumptions, or connects the dots the wrong way, doesn't that say far more about them than me?'
There's much that's been said about Yellowface being slow, repetitive, and the ending not measuring up. I credit all of this, but didn't really feel that way myself. I can see how others have come to these conclusions though. This novel is a tribute to cancel culture, in all its ridiculous glory. I loved it. The commentary on the publishing industry, the debate over who gets to tell what stories and how authors are 'marketed' as the right storytellers. It's a contentious novel and I appreciate R. F. Kuang's intent.
No comments:
Post a Comment