YellowFace

R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface is a darkly comedic and incisive critique of cultural appropriation, racism, and the publishing industry, wrapped in a gripping narrative. June Hayward and Athena Liu were both aspiring authors, but only Athena became a literary star. When Athena dies suddenly in an accident, June seizes the opportunity to claim Athena’s final manuscript as her own. Rebranding herself as Juniper Song, June publishes Athena’s novel about the overlooked contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I, achieving the literary fame she always craved.