I don't know what makes me feel worse: that such a poorly written novel became a global bestseller, or that the publishing industry (and our online world in general) is such an easy target for satire. Depressing to say the least. Now I see it's been optioned for TV: Lionsgate TV Options ‘Yellowface’ by R.F. Kuang, Karyn Kusama Attached to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)
Sure, Yellowface is a page-turner: Kuang knows how to construct a narrative arc. But it is bogged down with too much heavy-handed interiority, info dumps about the industry and cultural appropriation, plot twists that beg plausibility.
On the bright side, I did learn a lot about the industry. I had never heard of IP writing for one thing. And I guess it's somewhat encouraging that a novel, however flawed, can become a bestseller if it hits the zeitgeist.
Sure, Yellowface is a page-turner: Kuang knows how to construct a narrative arc. But it is bogged down with too much heavy-handed interiority, info dumps about the industry and cultural appropriation, plot twists that beg plausibility.
On the bright side, I did learn a lot about the industry. I had never heard of IP writing for one thing. And I guess it's somewhat encouraging that a novel, however flawed, can become a bestseller if it hits the zeitgeist.
