Yellowface is a quick and entertaining read, that is fraught with important issues of copyright, racism, and cultural appropriation in a lighthearted and satirical way.

R.F Kuang is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors. Yellowface is not as strong as her other book <i>Babel</i>, but it is still very absorbing and thought provoking. The way Kuang blends real issues in her work of fiction without undermining their significance is a testament to her art. 

The main character: June, is written to be unlikable and is quite "unhinged" when it comes to stealing and covering her backside. Despite her being unlikable, her point of view is utterly fun to read. We follow June's journey as it becomes smorgasbord of lies and deception, and slowly drives her into a crazy lady who is ready to sacrifice anything to be the center of attention. She is hard to relate to, but we have all met someone like her in our lives. This book, for the first time, shows us the inner workings of a racist Karen's brain and how they justify their actions.

The exploration of the prospect of a writing career and how the publishing industry operates is a fascinating discovery for me. Kuang does a good job of highlighting the mountainous challenges and difficulties writers have to climb to achieve publication and success for their books.

The issues discussed in this book are definitely important and relevant, but the way Kuang handled them left me unsatisfied. I understand this book is a satire, but I really wanted her to explore the issues raised more deeply and seriously beyond the intertextual references and metafictional characters of the book. She raises a valid question about whether writers should be  pigeonholed based on their race, but she doesn't delve deeper into the topic.

Overall, Yellowface exposes the hypocrisy and racism of publishing industry and society at large. It's well written and deserve the popularity it has recieved. A must read.