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Yellowface Audiobook by R. F. Kuang— narrated by Helen Laser
Audible Best of 2023
R.F. Kuang's Yellowface is a sharp, queasy thriller about a white novelist who steals a dead friend's manuscript and rides it to literary stardom. Narrated by a woman who can rationalize plagiarism, fraud, and grave-robbing of another writer's grief without ever once seeing herself as the villain, it's a satire of publishing's diversity theater that doubles as a study in self-justification.
Why the audiobook wins
Helen Laser narrates June Hayward with a chilling reasonableness — every justification, every flash of resentment, delivered in the same calm, confident register a person actually uses when they've fully convinced themselves they're the wronged party. That vocal steadiness is the performance: Laser never winks at the audience or signals "unreliable narrator," so you're stuck fully inside June's self-serving logic, which is exactly where Kuang wants you.
It's a book about publishing, plagiarism, and the internet's appetite for a villain, and hearing it rather than reading it sharpens the discomfort — June's voice in your ear starts to feel less like a character and more like a person talking you into something. It's a fast, addictive listen for anyone who wants a thriller that also makes them squirm.
Yellowface landed on Audible's Best of 2023 list and was a 2024 Audie Awards finalist for Fiction, and Laser's performance is a big part of why. Under nine hours, one credit, and you'll want to talk about it immediately after.
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Audiobook questions
- Who narrates the Yellowface audiobook?
- Helen Laser narrates the audiobook edition of Yellowface.
- How long is the Yellowface audiobook?
- The audiobook runs 8 hr 39 min.
- Is the Yellowface audiobook worth listening to?
- We scored Yellowface 4.2 out of 5. Helen Laser narrates June Hayward with a chilling reasonableness — every justification, every flash of resentment, delivered in the same calm, confident register a person actually uses when they've fully convinced themselves they're the wronged party. That vocal steadiness is…
- Can I listen to Yellowface free with an Audible trial?
- Eligible new Audible members can use a free-trial credit to listen in the Audible app. Eligibility and current offer terms are set by Audible.
