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Yellowface: A Novel―A Chilling Novel of Racism and Cultural Appropriation from the author of Katabasis Paperback – January 7, 2025
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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • EXCERPT TO NEW NOVEL KATABASIS!
“Hard to put down, harder to forget.” — Stephen King
White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel.
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWilliam Morrow Paperbacks
- Publication dateJanuary 7, 2025
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.79 x 8 inches
- ISBN-100063250853
- ISBN-13978-0063250857
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Katabasis Deluxe Limited Edition
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Price | $24.50$24.50 | $23.83$23.83 | $14.94$14.94 | $33.49$33.49 |
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is a great read. Crime, satire, horror, paranoia, questions of cultural appropriation. Plenty of nasty social media pile-ons, too. But, basically, just a great story. Hard to put down, harder to forget.” — Stephen King
“Viciously satisfying…addictive.” — New York Times Book Review
"Well-executed, gripping, fast-paced novel." — NPR
"Reading Yellowface felt like being inside a wild, brutal, psychological knife fight with a deranged clown. A merciless satire that left me screaming inside... from both its horror and humor." — Constance Wu, star of Crazy Rich Asians and author of Making a Scene
"At once a brilliant satire that mixes horror and humor; a nuanced exploration of race, heritage, identity, and diversity in publishing; and an honest look at the hell that is social media, this might just be Kuang's best." — Boston Globe
"Yellowface is one of the most transfixing novels I’ve read in ages… Kuang boldly interrogates literary hot-button issues like privilege, appropriation, and authenticity, leaving it open for readers themselves to decide where to draw the line." — Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
"It's addictive, shocking, compelling, ridiculous, and extremely fun to read by turns." — Paste Magazine
“Yellowface is a brittle, eviscerating read that affected me bodily. Kuang’s oeuvre consistently finds new ways to expose and interrogate systems of power, in this case tackling the commodification and consumption of art with both swagger and sophistication. Yellowface really is THAT bitch.” — Olivie Blake, New York Times Bestselling author of The Atlas Six
"A spiky, snarky, shady, smart, sinister take on white privilege." — Nikki May, author of Wahala
"Yellowface is brilliant satire--thought provoking, thrilling, and hitting a little too close to home. A must read commentary on the line between representation and exploitation and those who are willing to cross it for fame. Everyone in publishing's wide orbit should read this, and take a long look in the mirror." — Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times Bestselling Author of Kaikeyi
"Yellowface is a spicy, satirical page-turner that skewers the racism and tokenization in the publishing and entertainment industries, the vanity of social media, and the lengths at which people will go to remain in the glaring spotlight." — Tracey Lien, author of All That's Left Unsaid
"They say you should write the book that only you can write. Well, no one else but R.F. Kuang could have written Yellowface. A brilliant and unflinching take on white performativity and publishing. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Kuang is one of the most important voices in publishing today." — Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties
"A darkly satirical thriller about greed, truth, identity, and art—and who a story really belongs to. Reading Yellowface was like riding a roller coaster with no safety belt. I screamed the whole way through!" — Peng Shepherd, author of The Cartographers
"Excellent satire from Kuang...This is not to be missed." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This unsettling and electrifying book piercingly addresses issues of cultural appropriation and racial identity.” — Library Journal
"There’s SO MUCH I recognised (with the odd full-body cringe) about the vagaries of publishing and the ego bin fire of being a writer and SO MUCH I learned about my own white privilege but above all it’s a funny, engrossing read about what people do when they reckon they can get away with it." — Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key
"Her magnificent novel uses satire to shine a light on systemic racial discrimination and the truth that often hides behind the twisted narratives constructed by those in power." — Booklist (starred review)
About the Author
Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she studies diaspora, contemporary Sinophone literature, and Asian American literature.
Product details
- Publisher : William Morrow Paperbacks (January 7, 2025)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0063250853
- ISBN-13 : 978-0063250857
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.79 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times bestselling and Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of Babel, the Poppy War trilogy, and the forthcoming Yellowface. She is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book a compelling read with amazing writing and dark comedy elements. The narrative receives mixed reactions, with some appreciating its intriguing twists while others find it disappointing. The character development is criticized for being unlikeable, and the pacing is also mixed, with some describing it as fast-paced while others find it exhausting. Customers find the book thought-provoking and eye-opening, making them confront their own biases.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book highly readable, with one describing it as a page-turner, and many noting they couldn't put it down.
"A very different story from anything else. I enjoyed the view into the literary world and the unique character dynamics...." Read more
"...develops at a rapid tempo, thus rendering the whole reading experience a rather delightful feat...." Read more
"...However, while the novel starts off with a bang, capturing your attention from the very first pages, it ultimately struggles to maintain that..." Read more
"...Beside that, i think this book is worth to read, especially for people that look into mystery genre but still want to feel warm while read." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as amazingly and well told, with one customer noting how the writing style enhances the novel's pacing.
"...R.F. Kuang's writing is sharp and unflinching, offering an unvarnished look at the harsh realities of the entertainment industry and the challenges..." Read more
"...It's meticulously told, and the surprises continue, but mostly, I was just so enamored with June. At every moment, I was holding my breath...." Read more
"...So I stayed, but was bored. Her writing style and her ability to capture the psychology of paranoid lying author within the world of publishing was..." Read more
"...through June's eyes and early one we suspect that she may be an unreliable narrator as Kuang subtly hints through the employment of various tropes..." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, describing it as an eye-opening experience with an interesting concept.
"...novel to date, after The Poppy War series and Babel, touches several additional themes, and it can be also read as a commentary on the rising cancel..." Read more
"...While the initial setup is gripping and the themes are relevant and poignant, the narrative loses its way, becoming bogged down in repetition and a..." Read more
"...This is the perfect beach read for the summer. It's smart, sophisticated, fun and fast. Easily one of the best books of 2023." Read more
"...Does the truth come out? I have to say this book 📕 was very good and informative. To me it seems June was all about getting attention...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's dark comedy and sarcasm, though some find it cringeworthy.
"...Great characters. And a page turning plot. It's also, at times, laugh out loud funny, and it is never--even in it's less than perfect second half--..." Read more
"...Yellowface is suspenseful, plot-propelled, a cat-and mouse drama with satirical varnish...." Read more
"...likable about the novel is that it's a remarkably fast read, a decent commentary that cuts at social media, and a poignant take on the fickle nature..." Read more
"...This is a diatribe and pointed satire on the way the book publishing industry uses marketing and social media, and how internet scrollers and trolls..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the narrative of the book, with some finding it interesting and layered with intriguing twists, while others express disappointment and say it lacks substantial development.
"...is gripping and the themes are relevant and poignant, the narrative loses its way, becoming bogged down in repetition and a protagonist whose flaws..." Read more
"A very different story from anything else. I enjoyed the view into the literary world and the unique character dynamics...." Read more
"...Meanwhile, the ending is quite mid for me. Maybe i can't understand the meaning or else, but it can be better in my opinion...." Read more
"...exactly plot-driven, Yellowface features an intriguing and addictive main storyline while the author's writing style augments the novel's pacing, "..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it fast-paced and quickly engaging, while others describe it as slow and tedious.
"...as the narrative progresses, with the pacing becoming increasingly sluggish and repetitive...." Read more
"...Overall, i think this book is quite good and still challenging at the same time, mainly for several readers...." Read more
"...If there is a complaint, it's that as June becomes more psychologically unhinged, the story becomes almost thriller like...." Read more
"...What is likable about the novel is that it's a remarkably fast read, a decent commentary that cuts at social media, and a poignant take on the..." Read more
Customers have mixed reactions to the book's portrayal of bias, with some noting it made them confront their own biases, while others criticize its lack of moral compass and association with cancel culture.
"Look, the book is interestingly good. I love that the author tackled plagiarism and how easily it can be protected, if you are a bestselling author...." Read more
"...The cultural appropriation motif permeates the whole novel, with June's fitness to write a novel that involves characters coming from foreign races..." Read more
"...I loved our unreliable narrator because she was so real for her reactions...." Read more
"...She has absolutely no redeeming characteristics. No friends, no love interests, no family...." Read more
Customers criticize the character development in the book, finding the main character unlikeable and unengaging.
"...Juniper Song. It's hard to blame the author. The character is largely annoying and unlikeable...." Read more
"...There is no complexity in these characters or honesty, compassion or redemption at all in this novel, no "reality" and most insulting of all, Miss..." Read more
"...Just in different ways. There are no likeable characters here, but that is okay, I don’t need that. I loved how this book highlighted cancel culture...." Read more
"...I enjoyed the view into the literary world and the unique character dynamics...." Read more
Reviews with images

Highly recommended
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2025June and Athena went to college together. Both wanted to become writers. Athena becomes a best seller, while June doesn’t. Then one night of drinking and Athena is gone. June has Athena last manuscript and decided to publish it under her name. June get a lot of heat from it. Does the truth come out? I have to say this book 📕 was very good and informative. To me it seems June was all about getting attention. But not knowing to much about Athena and if she was the same way. But when June did it again with the second book 📕 I couldn’t believe. But I did keep an eye out for the publisher that got fire. I knew she wouldn’t keep quiet. 🤫 Then when they wanted another book 📕 and she was having a hard time with. I wonder 💭 maybe 🤔 that why her first book 📕 didn’t do good. But that ending was everything.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023Yellowface is my kind of read. It has everything I want. Good writing. Great characters. And a page turning plot. It's also, at times, laugh out loud funny, and it is never--even in it's less than perfect second half--boring for a moment.
The story revolves June Hayward, an author who has achieved virtually no success, and her friendly acquaintance Athena Liu, a literary bestselling tour-de-force author. When an unfortunately (and entirely insane) accidental death occurs to Athena while they are celebrating in Athena's apartment, June steals her manuscript. Our protagonist, June Hayward, then goes on to rewrite and sell Athena's work as her own. Of course, this all spirals out of control as June's paranoia and twitter's unrelenting trolls drag this brand new bestselling author.
At the heart of the story is plagiarism, but this story also raises the questions of who gets to tell what story. Does June have the right to tell the story of Chinese immigrants, even though June is white? If you're getting Pearl S. Buck vibes or 2018's American Dirt controversy, you're in the right ballpark here. June Hayward (who rebrands herself as Juniper Song) manipulates you at every moment. Mind you, she stole the manuscript in the first place. But R. F. Kaung's writing is brilliant and clever as Kuang brings you into June Hayward's paranoid and delusional world. I can't remember the last time I rooted for someone so toxic to everyone and anyone around them, but I did it with glee.
It's meticulously told, and the surprises continue, but mostly, I was just so enamored with June. At every moment, I was holding my breath. And don't worry, June is a glutton for punishment. She reads and basks in every negative review, alerts herself to constant destructive behavior, and you, as the reader, will not be able to look away.
The sharp and biting look at the publishing industry is a story all its own as well. How authors are made (or not), book tours, planning and prepping marketing, it's all here in delightful detail. It feels downright gossip-y. The literary equivalent of The Devil Wears Prada or Save Me the Plums.
If there is a complaint, it's that as June becomes more psychologically unhinged, the story becomes almost thriller like. It's not an unreasonable change, but considering how carefully crafted the first half is, the second half loses some of that tension and suspense that is built into the beginning. You could get into whether it's a metaphor for how June truly is or the direction of June's writing, but I'm just going to say that it doesn't feel quite consistent. It remains enjoyable, but it loses some of that "wow-factor" towards the end.
Nevertheless, Yellowface is by far one of the most fun reads of the year. It has something to say, and it does it with a style all its own. This is the perfect beach read for the summer. It's smart, sophisticated, fun and fast. Easily one of the best books of 2023.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2024As an avid reader, I was drawn to "Yellowface" by its intriguing premise and the buzz surrounding its selection as a Reese's Book Club pick. However, while the novel starts off with a bang, capturing your attention from the very first pages, it ultimately struggles to maintain that momentum, devolving into a rambling narrative that left me questioning the existence of a cohesive plot.
The opening chapters are undoubtedly the book's strongest suit, immediately thrusting you into the heart of the story and introducing you to the complex and deeply flawed protagonist, Juniper Song Hayward. R.F. Kuang's writing is sharp and unflinching, offering an unvarnished look at the harsh realities of the entertainment industry and the challenges faced by Asian Americans. The initial setup is compelling, leaving you eager to see where this intriguing tale will lead.
Sadly, that early promise dissipates as the narrative progresses, with the pacing becoming increasingly sluggish and repetitive. Scenes and character interactions seem to rehash the same themes and conflicts without advancing the storyline in any meaningful way. As a reader, I found myself growing impatient, constantly hoping for the plot to regain its footing and propel the story forward.
While Juniper is intentionally portrayed as an unlikable character, Kuang does an excellent job of capturing her persistent victim mentality, making it challenging to remain invested in her journey. The author excels at crafting a protagonist whose flaws and questionable decisions evoke a range of emotions, and her relentless negativity aligns with the lack of redemption or hope for the character.
Despite these shortcomings, "Yellowface" does offer thought-provoking commentary on the issues of representation, cultural appropriation, and the often-harsh realities of the entertainment industry. Kuang's unflinching exploration of these themes is commendable, even if the execution falters at times.
Ultimately, "Yellowface" is a novel that promises more than it delivers. While the initial setup is gripping and the themes are relevant and poignant, the narrative loses its way, becoming bogged down in repetition and a protagonist whose flaws overshadow any potential for growth. For readers seeking a tighter, more focused narrative, this book may fall short, but for those willing to overlook its pacing issues, there are still valuable insights to be gleaned from Kuang's uncompromising exploration of the harsh realities faced by writers in the entertainment industry.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2025A very different story from anything else. I enjoyed the view into the literary world and the unique character dynamics. The intensity was great and the ending felt like a good kind of messy and almost unfinished. I enjoyed it.
Top reviews from other countries
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DannyPReviewed in Mexico on February 8, 2025
3.0 out of 5 stars Mal cortado
Estem... Parece que lo cortaron con los dientes, aparte de eso, todo bien...
DannyPMal cortado
Reviewed in Mexico on February 8, 2025
Images in this review
- EstaReviewed in Australia on August 14, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars A powerful, meta, satirical read, holding up a mirror to cultural appropriation and racism
Reading Yellowface from MC Juniper Song Hayward’s perspective was a polarising experience. On one hand, she is one of the most salty, delusional, self-centred and unlikeable characters I’ve ever read the narration from. On the other hand, this was a meta read and Rebecca F. Khuang’s use of dark humour, irony, wit, snark, and satire is astute, polished and sharp.
The grisly hilarious satirical commentary on the publishing industry makes me wonder how much Kuang personally experienced, whether from being pigeonholed by #ownvoices or fulfilling a certain diversity quota in line with “trends”.
Not a style I usually go for, but a powerful read, holding up a mirror to cultural appropriation and casual racism.
- Mrs FReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Exhausting but so worth it
This book is absolutely "Clever and Witty" as many have described it. I'm not sure I would go as far as to say it's "hilarious" though. The massive amount of cringing and wincing I was doing throughout meant I barely raised an eyebrow to the wit, let alone laughed. However I was gripped by the narcissistic, warped protagonist. There isn't one single redeeming or wholesome character in the book, which combined with the authors smart, satirical portrayal of social media and the publishing industry, utterly exhausted me. The story is gripping and very close to the knuckle. From the reviews I know some found the decisions made by "June" too far fetched. For me personally, I found them frighteningly close to the truth. A bit like an episode of Black Mirror, dystopian but not as far fetched as we would like to think. Great book.
- AnkietaReviewed in India on March 24, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read! 5 star to storytelling
I loved the book. The ending could have been better but I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
The writer is witty. I loved the narrator's voice trying to save herself even after knowing what is going wrong. You root for her because of the story telling. It is smartly written. I had no clue what goes inside the publishing industry! It's a must read.
- KatoReviewed in Japan on October 21, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Asian English learner
Very interesting especially first-mid part.
Final part is a little bit boring but still good to read for studying English especially Asian.