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Graphic: Misogyny, Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
it was slow and took awhile to built up and get to the actually juicy part but in true rf kuang fashion the ending packed a punch and made me cry 🥲
i might write more later
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction
i love how much time it takes in the beginning to set up the cohort and their friendship in their "easy" lives in Oxford. it takes the time to really explore their characters and relationships, which really drives later points home so much better and makes later happenings so much more devastating. and Robin is such a good main character. seeing his character grow from childhood, seeing his mistakes, excuses, tries to make it right; it makes him very relatable.
i also really enjoyed the academia aspect of this book. all the language and translation theory was really interesting.
the use of footnotes in this novel was perfection. i always love getting extra information and the footnotes gave us so much of that. plus Kuang used it to comment on the shit some of the characters did, and also gave us closure for some things.
the names in this book are also so special to me. Robin and Griffin as birds, symbolising their want for freedom, and that we never find out their real names. Ramy calling Robin Birdie and how that nickname gets used throughout the book and by different characters. Victoires name being derived from Victory. its all very heartbreaking for me.
there are so many other great things about the book: how it all comes back to Robin's mom, how the quotes disappear suddenly, when all goes to shit, the intermissions, the last scene at Babel with its cinematic feel, the freedom of research
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Sexism
Moderate: Torture, War
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Colonisation
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, War
Minor: Infidelity, Slavery, Alcohol, Deportation
Some things explored within Babel (or at least how I interpreted it while reading) that really resonated with me and that I grapple with in my life were:
In colonial institutions whose foundations are built on systemic classism and racism how far must we go to decolonise? Does it require the complete dismantling of these institutions? Is violence necessary and/or justified, and how much of it? If colonised people are used by the system and benefit from it, are they complicit in the lateral violence against their own people? And how much are they willing to tolerate the inherent racism/classism/colonisation they are subjected to within these systems to survive? How far does their personal responsibility to advocate for their people extend? And many more but I feel like this is already a lot.
I also loved the magic system and the way that it considered the effects of globalisation/colonisation on evolving word meaning and that the effectiveness of match-pairs changed as a result.
The two languages I am fluent in (and dream in) are both languages of colonising nations while I only know bits and pieces of Indigenous language, learned in other dialects in colonial academic institutions. I’m in the sciences where despite Western methods often corroborating Indigenous Knowledge and Ways of Knowing, and holistic understanding being so integral to innovation and understanding, non-Western traditional methods are still widely frowned upon. Which I feel like Babel mirrored with a particular character and a particular character’s upper-year project respectively.
Ultimately, I don’t think Babel will have such an effect on all readers. But for me as an avid enjoyer of magical realism, magic in academic settings, magic systems, and with my personal lived experience it was profound.
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent