 "Morrow Buys Kuang's Yellowface" read the headline for Publisher Weekly's Deals of the Week in 2021. Nearly three years later (and a waitlist 168 people long for the digital audiobook-- doubled for the hardcover!) I finally got my hands on it. I was luck to be hired into a library system that celebrated Yellowface with various programs and activities leading up to R.F. Kuang's Community Reads visit. One of those activities included a book club that had me reflecting on the book much more than I initially did after finishing it two months ago. I absolutely hated June Hayward. While others in the club held some contempt for the fictional author, I was surprised by how some members were able to sympathize with her. It is my belief that every character means something. Writers are not only storytellers, but wise wizards that hide their lessons within their characters. Some lessons are obvious, some are subtle. Some are good, some are not as good. And so, I started mining Yellowface for what I could learn from June. A tale of two authorsYellowface by RF Kuang tells the story of two authors: One famous and one not so famous. One with a talent for words, and the other unable to find her words. One Asian ("exotic"), and the other white ("basic"). But, as June narrates: "for this story to make sense, you should know two things about Athena: Frist, she has everything… Second, perhaps as a consequence of the first, she has almost no friends” (p. 1) From the very first page of this first person narrative, we are emersed into a Athena Liu’s life as seen by June Hayward, a “plain, straight white girl from Philly” (p. 256) who, throughout the novel, gives us a front seat to her assiduous envy and girl-crush on Athena. "A perfect combination of classical and exotic,” Athena is “tall and razor thin, graceful in the way all former ballet dancers are, porcelain pale and possessed of these massive, long-lashed brown eyes that make her look like a Chinese Anne Hathaway” (p.5). She controls a an audience with her infectious aura and beauty. She lures them with her words. Athena Liu is everything June Hayward is not.
“That's important. I never pretended to be Chinese or made up experiences that I didn't have… and if anyone makes assumptions, or connects the dots the wrong way, doesn't that say far more about them than me?” (62) June continues to roll with everything her new identity has gotten her: fame, friends, notoriety regardless of how its earned— “I was willing to make myself the villain for the sake of entertainment” and ”White lady publishes tell-all! June Hayward writes the memoir none of us wanted, because this psycho just can't stop” (p 318). Never have I hated a character as much as I hated June...and that is a testament to RF Kuang’s writing! While I did not hate the book, but I was invested in the story because of how hateable the character was. I found myself cycling through the emotions of intense dislike, irritation, and hate. Then, rather than put the book down, I thought about all the ways she could learn her lesson by the end. When wishful thinking didn't work, I was banking on all the ways June would get her comeuppance. I wanted her to fail! And, when she finds her way out of each and every situation where she’s been caught, I kept thinking "next time… They’ll get you next time!" June’s descent into madness is telling. As she begins adopting Athena’s perceived life and identity, June starts to see Athena everywhere. In the audience of her book reading and panel, online, on the street. It's at this point that you see June and Athena switching places. I saw this less as June’s conscience catching up with her and more of a “what comes around-goes around” situation. June had been obsessing over Athena for years, and now that she essentially is Athena, she sees Athena as the person she had been: the person in the audience, the person on the computer, the person always hanging around on the fringes of Athena’s life. In the end, June becomes everything that she think Athena-- she has everything... and, as a consequence to the first, she has no friends. While June never learns a single lesson from her whole ordeal, there is much for us to learn from her.... especially in the "what not to do" area. She struggles so much with her own versions of success and fails in all the ways, but from her continuous failures and victim-mentality rose these three lessons that I've learned: 1. (As authors) We must find our voices.What makes Stephen King Stephen King? What makes Beverly Jenkins recognizable from other Harlequin Historical Romance authors (besides her subject matter)? Its like movies; I love Wes Anderson’s movies and if you are a fan— you just know his style. From the cinematography, way the characters are written, dialog, music, you know its a Wes Anderson movie. It doesn't matter if its animated (The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs) or various genres of live-action (Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Asteroid City etc.). He has a distinct style; A "voice" that sets him apart. June lacked voice in three important ways: the stories she told, the voice she uses when telling those stories, and self advocacy (this last point is different from her lashing out at netizens). Early on, June describes Athena's voice as a writer: “Her voice has matured and sharpened. Every description, every turn of phrase— its all sings” (p. 14). The only completely original thing June has written and published, fails, and she describes it as the novel that she'd written "in a fit of inspiration during a year bored out of my skull working for Teach for America" (p. 3). June, then, goes in to compare it to Athena's debut novel which had been praised for Athena's ability to seamlessly straddle multiple genres in one piece. (Tldr: June= one note singing in a bathroom; Athena= Polyphonic singing on stage). "She's published two more books since, and the critical consensus is that she's only gotten better and better" (p. 5) "It's a little different from your range," June's agent, Brett, says after reading the stolen manuscript she presents to him. This was the first indication of a difference between June's style and Athena's style. We continue to see that June cannot write her own material— she always needs help. She needs a story, a voice— something to emulate whether its Athena’s unpublished works, or the stories of the restaurant employees in Chinatown. The only self-reflection we get about June’s voice as a writer is when Brett proposes she take up IP work. June scoffs, “IP— intellectual property— work is for mediocre writers… it’s cheap, work-for-hire labor for people who couldn't manage to sell their own original projects.” (234). June, as we’ve seen, can't sell her own words and work, either. Finding your voice doesn't just extend to your craft. It also extends to your agent and publisher. You must advocate for your work. Now, I’m not the best self-advocate, but I try to be. I’m learning to be. A friend and fellow writer who published his debut novel two years ago, told me a bit of his experiences. He had to turn down a publisher when the editor made so many changes that essentially compromised the story he wanted to tell and his own voice as an LGBTQ+ person and writer. June didn't stand up to Daniella, her editor. She let her whole team at Eden Press take over. She reconstructed June’s image, she change characters and historic events in June/Athena’s book to “soften” the image of white people. Yes, June may have stolen the manuscript, but she continued the research to keep the story as true to Athena’s vision. Yet she caved to her editor’s changes. (The only time we see June take a stand is during the hiring of a "sensitivity reader," but she only does so out of fear of getting caught.) 2. Take Criticism— especially when writing about a community and culture that's not yours. June sees herself as an expert on the Chinese experience because she’s done her research. She even has her Chinese sensitivity reader fired. June wants absolutely zero criticism or input— especially from Asian Americans. My personal opinion is that, you can be the most well read person on a topic, but until you’ve lived it, you never truly know it. For the record, I am not claiming that White authors cannot write characters of other races, or for POC not to write outside of their races. I'm not saying "write what you know." There is a difference between writing characters of different races, and claiming to be an expert on their experiences. Accept feedback and criticism on topics outside of your identities (this doesn't mean you have to implement changes, but accept that you do not know everything). June’s experience going to Athena’s funeral and going to the Chinese Community Center was deplorable and extremely racist. There was her blatant stereotyping, disgust of their food and traditions, and over all ignorance. But it did affect her, especially when she spoke with a man who lived the story she’d “written” about. In front of her was a man with real experiences, and it made June uncomfortable. Rather than listen to him, she left. On Criticism, Ta-Nahisi Coates writes:
While there is a lot that I agree with, the idea of “I said what I said” can be harmful. I feel as though, in June’s case, she doubled down hard on this idea-- everyone else didn't know what they were talking about or couldn't possibly understand what its like in this industry. She could have learned from the criticism and feedback. She could have used that to do better in her next book— not repeat old mistakes. Growth comes from criticism. 3. Be confidentIn many ways, it was June’s own insecurities that lead to her fear driven actions. She lacked confidence in her own abilities hands down. In an interview between authors Leslye Penelope and Beverly Jenkins, the latter responds to the question about Imposter Syndrome and the feeling of not being worthy of your successes: “Writers have big egos in order to think people will buy their books. How can you have the ego and not think you are worthy of this gift— because writing is a gift.” She goes on to say of success that it looks very different to different people. “The only thing you can control, is what you write.” June's debut novel was not "successful." She was aiming for the (in her mind) instantaneous success of Athena. She doubted her own skills and sacrificed her growth as a writer by attempting to fast-track her way to the top. To me, June's debut novel was a success. Success— to me— is finally finishing my WIP. It's hooking an agent with my work. It's holding the printed copy of my labors in my hand. It's seeing just 1 person enjoy it. Its seeing it on a bookshelf. Is that my ego talking? You can't control what successes come your way, but you also can't lose your confidence what it doesn't happen the way you want it to happen. You can't quit after a few bad sales or after the first 50 rejections. (This is what I tell myself… but I’m much better at giving myself advice than taking it!) Honorable mentions that go without saying:
If you’ve skipped all the spoilers — or have read them! — I strongly recommend reading Yellowface. If you’ve read it, please leave a comment below! I’d love to know your thoughts. 
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