Staff Reviews

Most of the time I know exactly what I’m going to say about a book. This time I do not. R.F. Kuang has written a beautifully disastrous character that makes the reader think more in depth than most pieces of fiction-that-isn’t-literature will. This is a story that is going to consume you, and make you critically think about who and what the publishing industry is composed of. Everything considered, this book is coming out amidst a strike at HarperCollins (the publisher of this book) that calls for more diversity in the company and better base pay for all employees.
As someone who is white, and who is incredibly interested in being a part of the publishing industry in any way, shape, or form, this book hits in a way that I expected it to. It’s a critique of how the industry runs, from petty authors, to the not so obvious racism, to the intricate sides and faces it can portray. It blurs the lines between right and wrong, so much so, you didn’t want to root for the main character but it was hard to watch them what they saw as right and that’s the narrative you’re being fed. On the flipside, you KNOW that narrative is wrong. That's it's white entitlement at it's finest and most complicated. It makes you think about the online book world, a commentary nailing its painful and horrible bad side, while also showing how layered in truth it can be. I felt an odd amount of sympathy but absolute hatred and disgust with June Hayward. Especially within the last two pages. There is no way to talk about this book and describe exactly how it felt to read it. People need to experience it for themselves.
And it truly made me look inward at what I do, what I say, and what was being said by the book. It's not a story that's supposed to make you feel good. And I think everyone should read it, think about it, and talk about it.