A(NU) Thought

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang is a satirical novel, about June Hayward (Juniper Song) who steals her frenemy Athena Liu’s manuscript after her death and releases it as her own. She edits the script, sends it to publishers as her own and goes on to become a bestseller. As she tries to protect her secret, she goes farther than she ever thought she would. I found the story engaging enough, but the conclusion didn't quite work for me. We are used to dramatic ending but here it was pretty much how life is – regular, plain vanilla. Never mind! Kuang is an award-winning author. This was my first book by Kuang and it was so well marketed, I had to pick up and read what it was about. I realized the book itself mirrored the very things I mentioned in the previous sentence, as it was about publishing industry, marketing, how readers were buying more books because of certain controversy.

Harlen Coben is a master of crafting long, twisty stories packed with suspense. I had read Fool Me Once (also adapted into a TV series) quite some time ago, and I remember being blown away by how effortlessly he creates chaos out of simple threads. The Innocent is no different. The story begins with Matt Hunter, an ordinary teenager whose one tragic mistake, an accidental murder, haunts him for life. After serving his sentence, Matt tries to rebuild his world, but just as things seem to settle, he’s thrown into a web of shocking secrets and mysteries involving his pregnant wife, Olivia. Add to it the emotional turmoil he goes through. From there, the plot spirals deeper as more characters enter, old crimes resurface, and new twists unfold.