Yellowface

Bookseller recommendation

“Equal parts modern satire, indictment of the publishing industry, and twisted ghost story, R. F. Kuang’s first foray into literary fiction pulls no punches and will have you reading late into the night.”

— Abby Bennsky • Old Town Books Texas

Bookseller recommendation

“Two writers. Friends. Or friendly. One on a superstar trajectory, the other flailing. One Asian. The other white. When the superstar Asian writer dies, her friend takes her work in progress about the history of Chinese Labor Corps in WW1 and publishes it to great acclaim. This is a journey into the mad, bad world of publishing and cultural appropriation. Fast-paced, well-written, and topical. ”

— Em • A Great Good Place for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“R.F. Kuang does it again! But honestly, who is surprised! Yellowface is full of terrible people doing terrible things, a horror of mundanity that makes you reconsider everyone around you. But mainly, you have June spiraling out of control in a similar manner to the main character in a tell-tale heart, an unreliable narrator who reliably tells on herself in every single sentence. I was on edge the entire time, desperate for something to go right for someone who wasn't the main character - one of my favorite kind of things in fiction. Yellowface is brilliant, and a stark reminder that we all need to be better.”

— Caitlyn • Bookmarks

Bookseller recommendation

“Are you curious about how the book publishing industry works? Yellowface explores the publishing world from the point of view of an envious, unlikeable character; who at the core is battling loneliness, grief, and failure. I love the way the story unfolds from an extremely one-sided voice, who doesn't understand how her actions impact others. What I'd like to see: Athena's POV! ”

— Jenny • E. Shaver, bookseller

Bookseller recommendation

“I hated every character in this book but could not put it down. It was so compelling and truly made you think about how awful people can be. The main character basically murdered her friend and stole her manuscript. Wanting the celebrity that her friend afforded, she is overwhelmed with the publishing world. Such great storytelling”

— Suzanne • Page 158 Books

Bookseller recommendation

“One afternoon, I picked up this book intending to read a chapter or two only to find myself completely engrossed with this fast paced, quick witted tale for the rest of the night! I finished it the following morning. I found the unreliable narrator to be really compelling and I was intrigued by the scathing take down of the publishing industry. This book delivers! Easily a 5-star read! ”

— Zinna • A Great Good Place for Books