Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is a sharp, fast-paced novel about ambition, authorship, and who gets to tell which stories. It follows June Hayward, a struggling writer who steals a manuscript written by her late friend Athena Liu and publishes it as her own, sparking huge success—and intense backlash. The book explores racism, cultural appropriation, and the dark side of the publishing world through satire and psychological tension.