After reading Rebecca. F Kuang's Yellowface, I was super excited to start my Babel reading experience. I had heard incredible things about this novel - in fact, I don't think I've ever heard criticism about it. The astounding amount of praise it has received was enough to get me excited about diving into its pages; and I was not left feeling unfulfilled. This novel lit a fire in me that was completely unforeseen, and I don't think I will ever be the same again.
Genre: Historical Fiction; Fantasy; Dark Academia
Tropes: Found Family, Racism, Colonialism, Identity
Page Count: 546
Synopsis
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's centre for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organisation dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
My Review
Reading this book was such an experience. I was hooked from the very first page, and slight spoiler alert: I was sobbing by the time I closed it at the end. As an English language graduate and now teacher, the premise of this book was one that really excited me. I'm someone who LOVES language and talking about the impact of the English language specifically. When I say power, I mean both in a positive and negative light. Babel did an excellent job at highlighting the moral and political impact that the English Language has had on the world. It also reminded me how fascinating linguistics can be. After reading it, I have actually considered going back to uni to do a masters. Whether that will actually happen is another thing, but it has lit a fire in me that hasn't burnt out yet.
Kuang's writing style much like in Yellowface was nothing shy from perfection. At this point I think I could read her shopping list and be thoroughly impressed. She has a way of articulating such complex ideas, that makes you desperate for more. Although it was over 500 pages, every word had purpose and held value. I have read books of this size which could easily have been halved, but Babel's chunkiness was justified. In my opinion, Kuang didn't offer any description or information that did not serve a purpose. I will say though, the chapters were way too long. This is all down to personal preference, but I would much rather have shorter but more chapters, than fewer but long chapters. Most ranged between 20 and 30 pages long.
One of my favourite things about this novel was the found family between the four main characters - Robin, Ravy, Victoire and Letty. They each come from broken and complicated family backgrounds (discussed in the novel), and are thrown into their Oxford university experience together. We see them build a family unit that all of them have been robbed of, and it is so beautiful to read. The way that Kuang creates these characters and their relationships feels so genuine. From the happy memories, to the ugly truths and arguments, everything feels so authentic. Each character is fully fleshed out and developed, and I loved seeing them change from young freshers, right to their 4th year.
The overall plot is engaging and one you can truly immerse yourself in. The big twist half way through had that shock factor, but still held onto the strengths of the original direction. I felt like they blended well and didn't feel forced or far fetched. The world building and magic system was really easy to follow and I think being set in a real city played a big part in that. Although not all parts of the novel actually exist, Oxford being the main setting gave it a level of realism that understanding the world made easier. The magic system is so clever and thought-provoking. I am someone who already understands the power of the spoken language, but this book made me consider the benefits and repercussions that would come with it actually being magical.
The only criticism I would give to this book are regarding the chapter lengths and some of the comments made about Christianity throughout. Being a woman of God, it rubbed me the wrong way to see my faith be portrayed in such a negative light. Although I am VERY aware of the corrupt and awful things that some Christians have done to contribute towards colonialism and racism, it very much felt like the author's bias towards Christianity bled through. Rather than it being a criticism of the hypocrisy of some Christians in the 19th century, it often felt like she was portraying the faith negatively as a whole. For example, the way the characters behaved towards Christian practices at Oxford, or how a missionary was depicted as unbearable during one of the chapters. It definitely felt like a dig at Christianity rather than religion as a whole, since it mentioned Hinduism and Islam too, but neither of those beliefs were presented in any negative light. For those reasons, it wasn't quite 5 stars for me.
Overall I rated this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars ★★★★. It was a fantastic novel and one I think everyone should read (especially if you're interested in the English language and England's involvement in colonialism).
Have you read Babel? If so, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.
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