Summary
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang explores themes of race, identity, cultural appropriation, and plagiarism. The novel follows June Hayward, a white author who, after losing an Asian American peer in a freak accident, claims the deceased writer’s manuscript as her own. Under the pseudonym Juniper Song, June navigates the publishing industry’s biases, deals with unexpected success and its pressures when the book becomes a bestseller, and ultimately faces the consequences of her action. Told by an unreliable narrator and written with a satirical edge, Yellowface raises questions about social media, performative diversity, and who has the right to tell a story.
Plot
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang centers on June Hayward, a struggling white author overshadowed by her Yale peer, Athena Liu, a successful Asian-American author. Jealous of Athena, June grapples with intense envy. During a celebration at Athena's home, a tragic accident results in Athena's death. Amidst the chaos, June takes Athena's unpublished manuscript on the Chinese Labor Corps during World War I.
June rationalizes her actions by asserting that the story deserves wider recognition. She adapts the manuscript to suit a mainstream, predominantly white audience and publishes it under the pseudonym Juniper Song. Her deliberate choice of an ambiguous author photo helps conceal her identity. Titled The Last Front, the book quickly becomes a bestseller, propelling June to fame.
As June enjoys her success, accusations arise in public and online, questioning the book's true authorship. Backlash focuses on its portrayal of Chinese characters and its appeal to Western audiences. These criticisms lead to discussions on authenticity and appropriation. Athena’s acquaintances and critics scrutinize June's actions.
The conflict escalates with a Twitter account, @AthenaLiusGhost, accusing June of plagiarism. Entangled in her deception, June struggles to sustain her success. The unfolding events force her to confront the ethical implications of her actions, raising issues of identity, ownership, and cultural exploitation.
Themes
Cultural appropriation
In Yellowface, R.F. Kuang examines cultural appropriation in literature. The plot revolves around white writer June Hayward stealing a manuscript from her deceased Asian friend, Athena Liu. This story explores the ethical complexities when narratives of marginalized experiences are used by those outside the community for commercial gain.
The novel questions the rights to storytelling and authenticity in publishing. Kuang presents moral dilemmas, such as a white author like June profiting from stories about Chinese workers during World War I. This issue escalates when a Chinese American reader challenges the morality of June's actions. June counters that barring her based on race sets a dangerous precedent. This adds depth to the critique of industry practices.
Accusations of "yellowface" expose the fragility of racial performativity and highlight the system's complicity in prioritizing profit over representation. Kuang comments on power dynamics, illustrating how cultural narratives are exploited for profit, while marginalized voices are often ignored or erased.
Publishing industry practices
Using satire, Yellowface critiques common publishing industry practices driven by profit:
Performative diversity: June Hayward adopts an ethnically ambiguous persona to fulfill the industry's demands for diversity. This action points to an industry trend that treats diversity as a marketable asset rather than a genuine commitment.
Tokenism: Athena Liu's character demonstrates the tokenistic practices in literary circles. Her status as a celebrated minority author reflects the industry's focus on a limited range of voices while sidelining broader narrative authenticity.
Capitalist motivations: The story critiques the industry's preference for profit over integrity. June’s rise in the literary world shows an industry that often prioritizes commercial success over authentic and ethical storytelling.
Cultural erasure: The appropriation and commodification of Athena’s stories highlight cultural appropriation and erasure. The novel questions the industry's role in exploiting cultural narratives without acknowledging their origins and significance.
Impact of social media
In Yellowface, social media influences characters' public perceptions and identities. June Hayward becomes entangled in her virtual persona while rising in the literary world using a manuscript she stole from a rival. Her use of platforms like Twitter and Goodreads shows how maintaining an online presence affects genuine personal interactions.
The novel depicts how social media can rapidly build or dismantle reputations. The story captures June's anxiety over public perception, as she experiences sleepless nights while monitoring online discussions. This indicates the relentless scrutiny inherent in the digital sphere. Kuang presents the impact of the attention economy on societal values and how digital discourse shapes personal identity.
Quick facts
Yellowface debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for seven weeks.
R.F. Kuang wrote Yellowface as a satire influenced by her own experiences and observations on issues of diversity and racial biases in publishing.
Yellowface was a Reese’s Book Club pick and won the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction.
Stephen King described Yellowface as “a great read” combining “crime, satire, horror, paranoia.”
The protagonist, June Hayward, steals a deceased friend's manuscript, assuming a racially ambiguous identity, Juniper Song, sparking controversies on social media.
The story raises questions about who has the right to tell a story, authenticity, and reverse racism within publishing.
The book's title and cover art intentionally provoke discussion about stereotypes and representation.
The narrative employs an unreliable narrator, June Hayward, to deepen themes of deceit and cultural appropriation.
Athena Liu, whose manuscript is stolen, appears in spectral form, complicating the plot and highlighting ethical issues around plagiarism.
Critics praised the novel's exploration of social media impact, describing it as brutally honest about vanity and exploitation.
Yellowface marked a shift for Kuang from the fantasy genre to contemporary literary fiction.
Lionsgate Television acquired the rights to adapt Yellowface into a limited series, with Karyn Kusama slated to direct.
Key characters
June Hayward/Juniper Song: The protagonist and unreliable narrator. An aspiring white author struggling to launch her career, June claims the manuscript of her deceased Asian American friend Athena as her own, assuming the identity of Juniper Song.
Athena Liu: June's friend from college and literary rival, an Asian-American writer. After her unexpected death, Athena leaves behind an unpublished manuscript, which June steals. Later, Athena returns as a ghost to haunt June/Juniper.
Athena’s Mother: Though appearing briefly, Athena's mother provides depth to Athena's background. Her character complicates June’s appropriation of Athena’s work.
Ava: A fellow author. Ava questions June's actions, focusing on accountability and the industry's role in enabling unethical behavior.
June’s Editor and Literary Agents: These characters embody the industry's systemic issues, facilitating June’s fraudulent success. Their actions demonstrate complicity in exploiting racial and cultural ambiguities for financial gain.
TV adaptation
Lionsgate Television acquired the rights to adapt Yellowface into a limited series, with Karyn Kusama slated to direct. Constance Wu will join the production team with Justine Suzanne Jones and Ben Smith. As of summer 2025, the cast has not been announced.
Awards
Yellowface won the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award, reflecting its broad reader appeal, and Foyles Books of the Year for its literary quality. In addition, the novel was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year and received the New England Book Award for Fiction. The engaging audio edition was named among Libro.fm’s Top 10 Audiobooks of 2023.
About the author
R. F. Kuang is a bestselling author of works of fantasy, speculative fiction, and contemporary fiction. She made her publishing debut with The Poppy War (2018), an epic military fantasy inspired by China’s bloody 20th-century history, which led to a trilogy, and won the Locus Award for Babel (2022), an alternative history about student resistance and the power of language. She shifted to contemporary literary fiction with Yellowface (2023), using satire to critique the publishing industry and discuss cultural appropriation through the story of a white author who achieved bestseller status after claiming the manuscript of her dead Asian American college friend and literary rival.
Born in 1996 in Guangzhou, China, Kuang moved to the United States at age four. A graduate of Georgetown University, a Marshall Scholar, and a translator, she has advanced degrees in Chinese Studies from both Cambridge and Oxford, and is pursuing a PhD in Eastern Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale. Drawing on her own experiences in publishing, her writing addresses themes of identity and cultural representation in literature.
