Yellowface

In the fiercely competitive world of publishing, June Hayward and Athena Liu are supposed to be friends, but their careers tell a vastly different story. Athena, a literary darling of Asian descent, is a bestselling author, while June, a white writer, struggles with obscurity and envy. When June witnesses Athena's tragic death, she sees an opportunity and makes a decision that will irrevocably alter her life: she steals Athena's finished manuscript, a powerful novel about Chinese laborers during WWI, and publishes it as her own. Under the new, ethnically ambiguous pseudonym Juniper Song, June’s stolen work becomes an overnight sensation, catapulting her to literary stardom. However, her success is built on a foundation of lies and cultural appropriation. As whispers of plagiarism and uncomfortable questions about her identity begin to emerge online, June finds herself entangled in a web of deceit, paranoia, and the haunting presence of Athena's legacy. This propulsive and biting satire explores themes of race, privilege, authorship, and the dark side of ambition, forcing June to confront how far she will go to protect the fame she believes is rightfully hers.