Yellowface and mini challah buns

A novel that stressed me out and comforting, savory challah rolls

Hello! I am writing this from the Revelstoke library, looking out at the Columbia River, maple and aspen trees that are at their peak fall colors, and some tiny children scooting by on mountain bikes that look nicer than any bike I’ve ever owned. My fall has been a little bit slow. I got back from my canoe trip a month ago, and unfortunately got sick afterwards from something I picked up in the water. The silver lining was that while I was hanging out in my bed for days on end, I ended up reading several great books. Sometimes I’ll read several books in a row that aren’t for me, and other times I feel like every book I’m reading is a new favourite. This past month has been the latter, and the book in this issue, Yellowface, was truly engrossing. Hope you enjoy the review below! 

Good Book: Yellowface by R.F Kuang (2023)

In a nutshell 

Yellowface is part dark comedy, part satire, and part thriller. It explores who gets to tell which stories, and how systems of power and racism affect the publishing world. June and Athena are university friends who both dream of becoming writers. Right after graduation, Athena becomes a literary darling, publishing works that represent her Chinese background. By the time the two women are in their thirties, June has grown bitter, struggling to pay her rent while still trying to become a successful writer. June on the other hand, is routinely winning awards, lands Netflix deals for her books, and has a cemented position in the publishing world.

At the beginning of Yellowface, Athena has a freak accident. June makes a split second decision to steal her unpublished manuscript about Chinese labourers during World War I, and pass it off as her own. June publishes it under an ambiguous pen name that makes it sound as if she may be Chinese (June is white). This kicks off a saga of deception as June tries to keep her theft secret while rocketing to success off of Athena’s work. 

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Structure

Yellowface is told in first person from June’s point of view. Given how delusional June is, this makes the book funny and disturbing in equal parts. 

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Three things I appreciated about Yellowface 

1. Shows an extreme version of what loneliness can do to people 

In the acknowledgements, R. F. Kuang explains that the novel is largely a “horror story about loneliness.” This reframed how I felt about the book, and made me view a lot of the outrageous decisions June made as the result of not having a single person in her life to support her. It makes the novel particularly sad that Athena, who had everything June wanted, also had few friends or a network of loved ones to confide in. 

2. Protagonist does everything you don’t want her to do 

Despite being sick as a dog when I got my hands on this novel, I could not stop reading. There is something so compelling about the main character in a story making bad decision after bad decision, as if you need to read on until they sort everything out. I was engaged from the first page to the last, but also cringing at June’s endless missteps.

3. Explores the psychology of deception 

I’m obsessed with stories about people who go through with large-scale deceptions for long periods of time. How do people wake up every day and go through their routines knowing the scam they’re pulling off could topple at any moment? By Kuang writing from June’s perspective, we get to see every rationalization and denial as her con grows far beyond her control. 

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If you like Yellowface, read this: 

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz 

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Notable passage

“Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges; it makes our world larger, not smaller.”

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Good Bread: Challah buns with sun dried tomato pesto

Why this bread for this book?

I wanted to bake a stuffed, twisted bread for this book that would have some of the filling visible once baked. So much of Yellowface is June’s scam bursting at the seams as details of her deception begin to trickle out. I wanted a bread that appeared to not be able to contain its filling. 

Recipe

I used Smitten Kitchen’s challah recipe here. It is a fantastic recipe I’ve made many times, and the smell of challah loaves baking is the best. I followed the recipe to the last step and then instead of braiding the dough for two large loaves, I cut off small pieces and rolled them into little loaves. Then I poked holes in the center and spooned in the pesto. I had a bit of dough left over so froze it and will use it to make hamburger buns one night in the future. I used half grocery store flour and half flour I milled at home.

Looking forward

Book I’m looking forward to reading: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 

New music I’m looking forward to listening to: Hadsel by Beiruit 

What I’m looking forward to baking: Bagels and samosas

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