“Yellowface” by Rebecca F. Kuang, published by William Morrow, HarperCollins in 2024, explores race, cultural appropriation, and power dynamics in publishing. The novel follows June Hayward, a white author who steals her Asian-American colleague Athena Liu’s manuscript. Its strengths include bold themes, complex characters, and a suspenseful tone, though it suffers from underdeveloped secondary characters and heavy-handed messaging. Overall, it provokes crucial conversations about identity and authenticity. Rating: ★★★★
