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Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Child death, Slavery, Death of parent
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Blood, Death of parent
It was hard to get into at first, people don't lie when they say it's slow and sometimes reads like a textbook, but after the first quarter it drew me in and I couldn't escape.
The things I originally disliked (character driven, historical context, footnotes) became my favorite parts. I found myself so attached to each of the characters and wrapped into their stories.
As the story progressed you really grew with it, at least I did. Of course, a lot of the lessons I knew, but hearing them from a far more raw perspective was heartbreaking and eye opening at the same time. Looking now at the world we live in today, Babel is less fantasy than we think. The only magical thing about it is that the silver transforms, that is about it. Much of the basis of this book rang true during the time period, and still today.
The world building is amazing. The characters are so lovable (and hate able) and complex all around. They felt raw and real.
I'm so happy I picked up Babel, and it surpassed every expectation. Amazing. Truly, no words exist in the English language to explain my love for this book.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Deportation
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Murder, Toxic friendship, War
Graphic: Death, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Excrement, Deportation
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Pandemic/Epidemic
There are several characters that I wish had been explored more
It also would have been interesting to see the effects Britain was having on other places in addition to China, which may have helped cement each of our four main characters' motivations a bit better. We know explicitly that Robin and Ramy want to help their homelands but Victoire is a little unclear and Letty is Letty.
There is a really great quote about Letty and how her upbringing shapes her world:
The ending was unsatisfactory because of the epilogue.
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation
For me, a book is 4 stars if the story holds my attention across the 500+ pages, and the characters are interesting. So, it scores on those points. Background-wise, you'll be ok with this if you have any interest in etymology and translation, but if not you'll struggle.
The anti-racist message is not subtly expressed - it is very consistently and brutally expressed. It's really laid on heavy by the colonialists quite how little they thought of people from the places they were exploiting, and there's no possibility of responding to their arguments. The characters who are at the receiving end of it sometimes discuss racism and sexism together, in language that is not authentic to the time. One of the central messages of the book is that white women are not allies, that they'll push to get access to the system but not fight the system itself - fine, this makes sense and is likely quite authentic. But as it's such a heavily pursued narrative, there's not as much complexity or surprise as there could be. We basically learn that even in a world where there's a bit of magic to make things run smoother, it is all just used to make the Empire richer, and the Empire will allow any number of atrocities if the Empire itself still stands and makes money and power. (E.g. it is discussed a few times that abolition was just a trade advantage). So, it's bleak, and maybe a tiny bit clunky, but for any readers who maintain a perspective that Britain brought good to the world through empire, they might think differently after reading (they might not though).
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, War
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Vomit, Islamophobia, Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, War, Pandemic/Epidemic