Yellowface by R.F. KuangMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ok, so I'm torn. If three stars is "it's ok" and four is "I liked it," I think I fall squarely in the middle (e.g. 3.5 stars) and that isn't necessarily the fault of the author. I'm writing this review on Goodreads with the knowledge that it is probably one of the most meta reviews I will ever write, given the pages of the book devoted to the role of social media (including Goodreads reviews) in the life of an author.
I recently read Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and this was an interesting (although unintended) followup that confirmed most of Lamott's more cynical statements about the writing life (or perhaps, more accurately, the publishing life). Where it fell flat for me is that Juniper and her neuroses probably would have maintained my interest in a short story or novella, but by the denouement (which might have been "a" denouement), I was just done with her. I am fine with narrators who are unlikeable, but it was just too much of her voice--her whiny, excuse-ridden, entitled voice. Typical unreliable narrator, there's no reason at any time to trust her, so I just felt this constant sense of being manipulated---maybe that was the point. There was one moment, however, when Juniper says, "I feel like a meme of a clueless white person" (287) and all of a sudden I felt grounded in the message rather than having to ride on the Juniper train watching the dumpster fire unfold, helpless to do anything.
I am definitely a white person. Occasionally, I'm probably clueless too. But I don't think I missed the point(s) of this book. And I'm not naive--Juniper Songs do exist all over the place, some a lot more insidious and some even more clueless. The part of Yellowface that is "a horror story story about loneliness in a fiercely competitive industry" is fantastic. It would have made a great Twilight Zone episode. But the length of having to endure Juniper's horrific behavior overpowered the narrative of loneliness--of Juniper, of Athena. I suspect there's just too much to say about the motivations behind plagiarism and appropriation, so I'm sympathetic. Ultimately, it is an artful book that makes us sit with, lean into, and smush our faces in discomfort, and it unapologetically doesn't let up. After we turn the last page, perhaps we can step back and find the Juniperisms that hide in our own hearts.
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