Booksology Juniper Song became a best-selling author overnight, but she’s not who she says she is. All it took was for June Hayward to steal another author’s work and lie about her identity in order to be successful in the publishing industry.
By: Emily Drivick
“Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang has sat on my shelf for months now, but I was immediately enamored by the story from the first moment I picked it up. It was published in 2023, and it remains popular among the book community today. I expected an average fiction novel, but it’s more than that. Kuang’s writing is simple and modern while incorporating thought-provoking themes that stuck with me after I finished the book.
Kuang is known for taking the time and effort to research the topics she delves into in her novels. What’s more impressive is how diverse her literary range is; some of her works combine the genres of fiction and fantasy together, but there are also historical aspects in her books. “Yellowface” is yet another one of Kuang’s experiments; this novel borders on psychological thriller, and I truly admire her dedication to the craft.
The novel follows June Hayward’s perspective as a struggling writer who graduated from an Ivy League school. Despite her high education, she cannot stand out from other authors. June’s desperation for success and recognition is a catalyst for her future actions. From the very start of the novel, it is easy to spot June’s heated jealousy of her writer “friend” Athena Liu. They are celebrating yet another one of her victories in the publishing industry, but a tragic accident leads to Athena’s untimely death. June’s impulses get the best of her, and she decides to steal and edit her manuscript in order to pass it off as her own.
Throughout the book, June feebly attempts to justify her immoral actions as she becomes a well-known writer. She continues to tell herself and her fans, “It’s what Athena would’ve wanted.” She lies to herself by claiming that she is the hero in the story through helping bring this story into the world.
What’s even more twisted is that June isn’t solely a culprit of plagiarism, but she commits acts of cultural appropriation as well. After stealing a manuscript containing the history of Chinese laborers in World War I, June’s marketing team grows concerned that readers will think poorly of a white woman writing this novel. As a result, June is convinced to assume the identity of Juniper Song, creating a “worldly” author persona. While she doesn’t outright lie about her culture, readers can see how racially ambiguous the name is. Kuang not only criticizes the publishing industry, but she also identifies racism and white privilege through June’s experience.
The publishing industry is being heavily romanticized through the aesthetic videos on social media, but Kuang exposes the reality of what being a writer on social media is like. If one wrong thing is said, your career will be ruined. Encountering June’s inevitable downfall in her perspective was terrifying, even though she was the one in the wrong. Did she deserve the countless death threats from strangers, though? Kuang expresses how isolating it is on social media, especially as a writer. Since June writes alone for her job, the internet was the only way to validate her work. People are allowed to write anything they wanted about her, and the majority of those comments were negative.
It was really fascinating to see June psychologically break down due to her social media hate, especially being in her point-of-view. I was on the edge of my seat while turning the page, even though I wasn’t rooting for her.
The ending of “Yellowface” was questionable. You never truly know if justice is achieved because June is constantly manipulating the narrative, just like how she writes her books. Just when you think she gets the ending she deserves, she finds a way to gain favor with her audience.
The plot of this novel feels so real, and similar events could occur if change isn’t made. Overall, I highly recommend “Yellowface” to anyone who wants to learn more about what happens behind closed doors in publishing. This will be a read that I think about often, and it will impact how I view writers and books in general.
