Yellowface Summary, Characters and Themes

Yellowface is a satirical thriller by R.F. Kuang, exploring the dark side of the publishing industry. 

When struggling author June Hayward’s successful friend Athena Liu dies suddenly, June steals Athena’s unpublished manuscript and publishes it under her own name, claiming it as a diversity win. As June’s career takes off, she’s haunted by guilt and the fear of exposure, leading to a downward spiral of obsession and deceit. The novel delves into themes of cultural appropriation, racial identity, and the toxic nature of social media.

Summary

June Hayward, a struggling writer, is consumed by envy toward her more successful friend, Athena Liu. When Athena dies suddenly, June seizes the chance to steal her unpublished manuscript, The Last Stand, a novel about the forgotten Chinese Labour Corps in World War I.

June rewrites and publishes the stolen manuscript under the new title, altering its content to cater to white audiences and claiming it as her own under the pseudonym “Juniper Song,” adopting a racially ambiguous persona to obscure her theft.

The book achieves early success but soon faces backlash for its shallow portrayal of Chinese characters and erasure of cultural nuance. As accusations of plagiarism and cultural appropriation swirl, a relentless Twitter account, @AthenaLiusGhost, begins calling June out, disrupting her carefully curated narrative.

When June learns that Athena’s ex-boyfriend, Geoffrey Carlino, is behind the account, she confronts and silences him. However, controversy continues to follow her, and June, unable to produce original work, leans on Athena’s notes for inspiration, deepening her moral collapse.

As the truth of her plagiarism leaks, June faces a storm of criticism but finds unexpected support from right-wing audiences who applaud her “erasure” of Chinese culture. Her desperation intensifies as she struggles to maintain her career and reputation.

While teaching at a youth writing workshop, her students expose her, and even her mother offers no comfort when June seeks solace. Driven by her obsession with controlling her narrative, June decides to write a pseudo-autobiographical account of her relationship with Athena to win back public sympathy.

June is further tormented when Athena’s Instagram account mysteriously reactivates, sending her ghostly messages. When she meets with Geoff, he advises her to ignore it, but June’s guilt gnaws at her until she agrees to confront Athena’s ghost.

At the confrontation, Candice Lee, a former colleague June had wronged, reveals she is behind the ghost account, having recorded June’s confession with plans to expose her. In a panic, June attacks Candice in an attempt to destroy the evidence.

June awakens in a hospital with broken bones, her memory of the attack fragmented. Meanwhile, Candice releases the recording, igniting a media firestorm that ruins June’s public image.

Despite her downfall, June remains convinced her white privilege will help her recover. She resolves to write her own tell-all memoir, determined to manipulate the narrative once more and claw her way back into the public’s good graces.

Characters

June Hayward

June Hayward is the protagonist and unreliable narrator of the novel. 

Ambitious and insecure, she harbors deep-seated jealousy towards her more successful friend, Athena Liu. June’s desperation for recognition and validation drives her to plagiarize Athena’s work after her untimely death. 

Throughout the novel, June grapples with guilt, paranoia, and a deteriorating sense of self. Her actions are often impulsive and self-destructive, revealing a complex character plagued by ethical dilemmas and a relentless pursuit of fame.

Athena Liu

Athena Liu is a celebrated Chinese American author whose untimely death sets the events of the novel in motion. 

Athena is portrayed as talented, charismatic, and ambitious, embodying the success that June desperately craves. 

Her novel, The Last Front, becomes the subject of June’s plagiarism, sparking a series of events that expose the dark underbelly of the publishing industry. 

Although deceased, Athena’s presence looms large over the narrative, influencing June’s decisions and ultimately serving as a haunting reminder of her transgressions.

Candice Lee

Candice Lee is an editorial assistant at Eden Press who is assigned to work on The Last Front. She is intelligent, perceptive, and committed to ethical publishing practices. 

Candice’s suspicions about the novel’s authenticity and June’s identity lead to conflict and ultimately her dismissal from Eden Press. 

Candice’s determination to expose the truth and seek justice for Athena drives her actions throughout the novel, making her a formidable adversary to June.

Daniella Diaz

Daniella Diaz is June’s editor at Eden Press. 

She is portrayed as ambitious, pragmatic, and willing to overlook ethical concerns in pursuit of commercial success. 

Daniella’s complicity in June’s plagiarism and her efforts to manipulate the narrative surrounding The Last Front reveal a cynical and opportunistic attitude towards the publishing industry.

Geoffrey Carlino

Geoffrey Carlino is Athena’s ex-boyfriend and a struggling author whose career was marred by accusations of racism. 

Geoff harbors resentment towards Athena for her success and blames her for his downfall. His involvement in the online campaign against June and The Last Front is fueled by a desire for revenge and a twisted sense of justice.

June’s Mother

June’s mother is a practical and supportive figure in June’s life, offering emotional and financial assistance throughout her struggles. 

However, her unwavering belief in June’s talent and potential sometimes blinds her to the ethical implications of her daughter’s actions. Her presence in the novel serves as a reminder of the complex relationships and conflicting loyalties that shape June’s decisions.

Themes

Cultural Appropriation and the Erasure of Asian American Voices

Kuang’s Yellowface dissects the layered complexities of cultural appropriation within the publishing industry, revealing how marginalized voices are systematically erased while their stories are exploited for profit.

June’s theft of Athena’s manuscript—rooted deeply in Chinese American heritage—and her subsequent revisions to make it more palatable to white readers showcase the distortion and commodification of cultural narratives by those outside the community.

The novel interrogates power dynamics in cultural appropriation, illustrating how dominant groups profit from the creative labor and lived experiences of marginalized people without bearing the cultural or historical weight those stories carry. 

Industry figures dismiss Candice’s valid concerns, further silencing Asian American voices and perpetuating a cycle of invisibility within publishing. Through these dynamics, Yellowface highlights how systemic biases enable appropriation while devaluing the authentic voices and perspectives of those whose stories are taken.

The Toxic Nature of Ambition and the Price of Success

Yellowface offers a sharp critique of toxic ambition, exploring the moral and psychological costs of the relentless pursuit of success. June’s desperate quest for literary recognition—fueled by envy, insecurity, and her feelings of inadequacy compared to Athena—leads her down a path of deceit, manipulation, and ultimately violence.

The novel challenges the ethical boundaries individuals cross in the name of ambition, questioning what is sacrificed on the altar of success. June’s escalating paranoia, guilt, and isolation illustrate how toxic ambition corrodes mental health and fractures personal integrity, leading to self-destruction and harm to others. Through June’s collapse, Kuang warns of the devastating consequences of unchecked ambition, particularly when it is rooted in resentment and a desire for validation rather than genuine purpose.

The Illusion of Authenticity and the Performance of Identity

Yellowface interrogates the nature of identity in a curated, digital world, examining how individuals manipulate their public personas for personal gain. June’s adoption of the racially ambiguous pseudonym “Juniper Song” and her staged author photo exemplify how identity can be strategically crafted to appeal to audiences and publishing gatekeepers.

The novel critiques the commodification of diversity, revealing how June’s racial ambiguity is exploited to market the stolen manuscript as a “diversity win” without any commitment to the authenticity of representation. 

By contrasting performative gestures of inclusivity with the erasure of genuine voices, Yellowface challenges readers to reflect on the difference between true representation and diversity as a marketing tool.

The Perils of Social Media and the Power of Online Narratives

Kuang explores the double-edged nature of social media, illustrating how it can amplify marginalized voices while simultaneously enabling harassment, misinformation, and mob dynamics. 

For June, social media becomes a source of validation and a platform to build her brand, but it also becomes the mechanism of her downfall as online accusations and the exposure of her theft unravel her carefully constructed persona.

The novel underscores the power of online narratives in shaping public opinion, highlighting how digital spaces can become battlegrounds where reputations are made and destroyed. 

Yellowface serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of seeking validation through virtual platforms and the consequences of online mob mentality, demonstrating how the speed and reach of digital media can dismantle lives while simultaneously exposing truths that traditional systems suppress.