Rebecca F. Kuang’s novel Yellowface was one of the most anticipated novels of the year, and for someone who wrote on metafiction and satirical writing for their dissertation, it was one I was eager to get my hands on. At the age of just 27, Kuang is becoming a titan of the publishing industry with numerous awards already under her belt and degrees at Cambridge and Oxford (and an impending PHD from Yale).
So, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise when an author wants to write about the very industry they sit within. Especially when publishing a novel does not just finish with writing, its an amalgamation of PR, marketing and balancing the very thin line between personal and professional.
Metafiction and discussing racism in publishing is a tool that goes hand in hand, from my previous experience reading Percival Everett’s work, especially that of Erasure, it is easy to see how ‘poking fun’ at writing can further emphasise the gaps in the industry, and how in a lot of ways, it can exacerbate the prevalence of racism.
Kuang’s novel definitely does that. Unlike Everett, it is not done through the eyes of those affected by racism, it is coming from the perspective of the racist person, Juniper Hayward. For context, Kuang’s novel depicts the death of Athena Liu, who is a highly successful author and to her friend, Juniper, has everything she feels she deserves. So, when Athena chokes on a pancake in front of Juniper, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to pick up the manuscript for what was supposed to be Athena’s next best hit, The Last Front. After making the story more ‘palatable’ Juniper becomes a highly successful author, navigating fame whilst hoping the truth doesn’t come out.
Let’s start with June, or the author formerly known as Juniper Hayward. A character I despised and felt utterly frustrated by in equal measurers. Kuang did a great job at making the reader feel uncomfortable by Juniper’s opinions and presence. Of course, you have no ability to control her actions which becomes increasingly harder to deal with when her perspective is the only one you get.
It is also hard to read someone be so upset and downtrodden by their inability to feel inspired when the inspiration they do get, is from other marginalised backgrounds. It’s no surprise she struggles when it has nothing to do with her own lived experience. And further to that, is equally sad that the industry feels capable of profiting off of the distressing and traumatic stories of other people when it comes from an inauthentic perspective. Kuang’s novel draws attention to what could be perceived as a spineless and morally ambiguous sector, as well as the conversation around authorship.
Yes Juniper’s perspectives were racist and full of inner conflict but this racism was also apparent in the fact that when a white woman published a novel on the Chinese workers recruited by the British army in the First World War, there was no immediate realisation that this was cultural appropriation. It wasn’t just inward facing racism the reader perceived, it was apparent in every reader of June’s novel. Moreover, the decision to change Juniper’s name to June Song, allowing her to move on from her unsuccessful debut novel, meant she could ‘pass’ as an author retelling her families history rather than a white woman profiting from trauma. It was the naivety and acceptance of inappropriate actions that built up the expectation that something was going to happen to Juniper, but alas, we were all wrong.
Kuang also seems to be pulling from personal gripes with the online world when it comes to publishing, as Twitter plays a key role in mentally destroying June’s mental wellbeing (and career). As well as the other characters in the novel. There is obvious commentary towards the change of opinion and the speed at which this happens on these platforms. Removing this from any racist context, I think it is clear that Twitter, especially the book side of Twitter, is perceived as a machine for hatred and unwarranted views – to the point where people really can do anything and everything. Kuang also puts this in the position of how it bolsters the publishing world, as positive or negative discourse is seen as an advantage. There is no real sense of perspective because racism = conversation = sales.
To further this Twitter theme, the Athena’s Ghost twitter account was cleverly used as a way of portraying Junes guilty conscience. It was the only method in the novel that wreaked havoc with Juniper’s ability to deal with what she had done. And thankfully, gave the reader the ability to come up for air from what was a very insular experience. It also played into the positioning of the marginalised voices in the story, whereby those who called out Juniper were only mentioned a handful of times and most definitely showcased how white perspectives are often highlighted whilst those who aren’t, are silenced or pushed aside.
When I said the privileged get to move on, it is predominantly because that is exactly where the novel ended. There was never an acknowledgement of wrongdoing, an apology or sadness, rather Kuang chose to let Juniper plan her future and further profit off of her demise. Although I wasn’t a fan of the ending, I do think it let the reader settle in what is not a solution and again, focuses you to the uncomfortable nature of where we are at with dealing with racism in society. Ignorance is bliss as they say but it does not solve deep rooted problems.
Critics have commended Kuang’s novel and I don’t think that’s without merit. It is clever and as the review in the New Yorker stated, it’s probably the best satire of the contemporary publishing industry we’ve seen. But I hate to say it, although I know I am not alone, I just wanted more. Unlike Everett’s writing, I wouldn’t read this again, I also don’t know if I would recommend it to someone else. Maybe I feel slightly let down by the expectation I had in my head but apart from Yellowface’s examination of the publishing industry, I was left feeling mostly disappointed. Perhaps it didn’t need to fill 322 pages, because that’s not to say this novel doesn’t have a place, it most definitely does.
What did you think of Yellowface? Let me know in the comments.
Sophie's Edit 
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