14 October,2023 10:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Varma
Rebecca F Kuang. Pic Courtesy/HarperCollins
Yellowface has been on everyone's to-read lists across the globe. One of the reasons, apart from its title and cover, has got to be the immediately intriguing inciting incident of the novel. Athena Liu's manuscript is taken by June Hayward the night Liu dies. It is then edited and published by Hayward under her new moniker, Juniper Song. It turns out the book doesn't just do well; in fact, it blows up. Hayward receives critical and commercial acclaim but soon enough, she also begins to receive bitter criticism, suspicion, and hatred. What will Hayward do?
Through the novel, Rebecca F Kuang gives us a deep insight into some of the nitty-gritties of the publishing industry, thought processes behind bestselling lists and representation inclusions, and the possible hierarchies that sometimes exist within publishing houses. Her clever use of the tool of embedded correspondences between the editor and Hayward, who is the narrator, through their emails makes this fascinating for us as readers.
It also helps us see an interesting character in Hayward as Kuang takes us deeply into her psyche, yet allows that necessary distance between the narrator and reader. One is not supposed to feel empathetic towards the character. So, it almost feels like we were being let inside a confessional or getting to read a diary left behind by Hayward. We are aware at all times that we are seeing the world and Athena's character in the novel from that tinted lens, i.e., as Hayward sees it.
Moreover, Kuang takes this moment to step into the shoes of a struggling white American writer. While some initial comments about the lonely challenges of a writer immediately connect with all those who have felt the pricks of the failures and rejections, her comment on the politics of race addresses the much larger cultural debates. For instance, how casually Hayward takes on the Asian but ambiguous-sounding last name âSong' to publish the book, which is about the Chinese Labour Corps.
Her defenses are all laid out: the pretense of "a new beginning" and the fact that it was given to her by her mother when she was young. In her journey, Hayward also makes many changes to erase historically and culturally relevant stories that were present in Athena's original manuscript. However, at times it felt like some of the other commentary through Hayward's racist remarks got a little too direct, and left very little to the reader's imagination. This book is written to be read quickly, and is perfect for those who are looking for a suspense-filled read, with social commentary sprinkled over the top.
