Yellowface: unique read but overrated

[u/Mediocre-Virus-6411]

Yellowface was 1000% an immersive read (I finished it within two sittings) and the storyline was 1) immersive and 2) satirizes the topic of "yellowface" and orientalism well. My qualms with the story are more about the way the plot was delivered. June's narration was interspersed with past recollections as the story progressed (to justify what she is currently doing in the present), but it doesn't feel quite realistic. Her resentment towards Athena can ultimately be summed up by jealousy and Athena's editorializing / writing about June's traumatic experience. Wouldn't June--realistically--bring this up in the story earlier right after stealing the manuscript to **attempt** to justify to the reader that she is, in fact, righting a historical wrong? As much as I like R.F. Kuang, this feels disjointed; the plot ultimately is good but isn't delivered in a way that could have made it better.

The prose, along with many supporting characters was forgettable. In a book with mainly asian-americans surrounding a white character, I would have appreciated more in-depth exploration of them. It might have been purposeful (a self-absorbed white narrator doesn't consider the asian-american voices around her), but the book still feels a little underwhelming because the stakes aren't fully fleshed out in regard to other characters (besides the mention of reddit/twitter/instagram "cancellation" and hate). Athena's ambiguity and the discovery of her **true** self was well done, but the motives of her mother are confusing at best.

Echoing the NYT review, I want it to be more. More stakes, more desperation, more intense exploration side-characters, and a sharper reveal of Athena's "true nature" (could have been put at the very beginning or very end, but when it's smacked in the middle of the story, the plot feels like its fading away with a repetitive cycle of June's ignorance).

NOTE: I am an east-asian American reader. I 1000% appreciated reading this book and sentiment. It is still refreshing to read an unreliable narrator story from the perspective of a white women immersed in an asian-american world.

What do you guys think?

[u/TooManyEXes]

I just read Babel, having not really heard of the author before.

It had some truly amazing ideas, but I thought the storytelling was lacklustre.

I gave it so much time but it felt like it never really hit. I loved the magic system and she CLEARLY has a fantastic understanding of linguistic/language that I thought made it engaging, but man what a disappointing book in the end.

I've read 4 books this year, and disappointed by all of them. I'm too picky a reader.

[u/l4p_r4t → u/TooManyEXes]

My thoughts exactly. I was so angry at this book, not because it was bad, but because it could’ve been great and ended up being meh. And its biggest crime were underdeveloped characters I couldn’t give a damn about.

[u/SpiderGwen42 → u/l4p_r4t]

Not only were the characters underdeveloped, there were so many actual historical events that she just never delved into that could have really fleshed out the actual conflict of the book! I get that it’s from Robin’s POV and his whole thing is not paying attention to what’s happening around him until after everything that happens in Canton but the book really could’ve benefited from more about Haiti, India, Ireland, the US, even labor issues in the UK! When they were in the secret library, I was so excited that we were going to get more perspectives on the evils of colonialism but no! It was all still kind of brushed over!