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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang
43 reviews
meaghanslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The story is extremely interesting and the author does a wonderful job of world building.
The idea of the power of what is lost in translation tied with the power of language and its influence on colonialism is well thought out.
The reason why this book isn’t a 5 is because I felt for most of the book that it was too long. I think this book could have been several smaller books instead of one be very large book. The pacing of the story drags in the middle for me. Also I found the characters while not quite lovable or despicable, just sometimes annoying, especially Robin and Letty. That also factored in a bit to my rating.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cultural appropriation, War, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Death
lexihworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Suicide, Slavery, Murder, Genocide, Violence, Racial slurs, Child abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Blood, Colonisation, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Slavery, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Misogyny, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Death, War, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Alcoholism, Blood, and Bullying
doraevarga's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Death of parent, Racism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, Colonisation, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Slavery, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Murder, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
wornpagesandendlesscoffey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Note- there are a LOT of triggers. It is still well worth reading.
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, War, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Classism, and Suicide
leahisdudish's review against another edition
5.0
i dont have words.
Minor: Death of parent, War, Murder, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Colonisation, Gun violence, Grief, Classism, Gaslighting, and Drug use
nicolesbookcase's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a hard one for me to rate. The content and the message, important and necessary. The way it was put together, a bit of a hard sell for me.
The first half was slow and dry, a bit hard to get through. If you enjoy lectures about the etymology of language, you're in for a treat, but otherwise, it was just a bit too much information and not enough happening. It wasn't until about 50% in that something actually happened that I was excited about. From then on, I really enjoyed the book. Very evidently, I prefer plot-driven books, and the beginning just didn't have enough plot points to pull me in.
The writing in this is fantastic. It's somehow easy to follow, but at the same time definitely not an easy read, kind of like the contradictions in this story. The way Kuang gets her meaning across is so eloquent; I'm not one to annotate books, but I actually got myself some tabs to mark certain parts because they're so evocative. The technical aspects of this are interesting, albeit a little dry, but it is a story about language and translation, so I understand the impact of why it was delved into so deeply, and I appreciate how much research went into making this as accurate as possible. And reading it through the lenses of the characters in this book, who are obviously enamored by language of any kind, made it more interesting! I could feel the awe and devotion these people have for what they're learning and what they can do!
"For how could there ever be an Adamic language? The thought now made him laugh. There was no innate, perfectly comprehensible language; there was no candidate, not English, not French, that could bully and absorb enough to become one. Language was just difference. A thousand different ways of seeing, of moving through the world. No; a thousand worlds within one. And translation - a necessary endeavor, however futile, to move between them."
Reading the book through the lens of Robin, a somewhat white-passing Chinese man, gives this story so many sides and makes the development of his character, through his struggles with coming to terms with who he is and what he believes in, so relevant and incisive. Kuang did a brilliant job in choosing Robin as the main POV of this book; his is an easy POV to empathize with. He has such conflicting opinions and has to muddle through his feelings the entire way through and decide who to be at the end of it all. "You have such a great fear of freedom, brother. It's shackling you. You've identified so hard with the colonizer, you think any threat to them is a threat to you. When are you going to realize you can't be one of them?" He struggles with the clashes between his ethnic background and growing up in Canton, but then being embroiled in the culture and language of England and Oxford and seeing those ironies in himself. "And he wondered at the contradiction: that he despised them, that he knew they could be up to no good, and that still he wanted to be respected by them enough to be included in their ranks. It was a very strange mix of emotions. He hadn't the faintest idea how to sort through them." Being able to compare all of that with Ramy, an Indian man, Victoire, a Black woman, and Letty, a white woman, really gave this story so much depth. I loved learning more about each character, their stories and experiences and flaws.
"Robin wondered then how much of Anthony's life had been spent carefully translating himself to white people, how much of his genial, affable polish was an artful construction to fit a particular idea of a Black man in white England, and to afford himself maximum access within an institution like Babel. And he wondered if there would ever be a day that came when all this was unnecessary, when white people would look at him and Anthony and simply listen, when their words would have worth and value because they were uttered, when they would not have to hide who they were, when they wouldn't have to go through endless distortions just to be understood."
The worldbuilding fell flat; there really wasn't much worldbuilding to speak of. The one aspect of fantasy didn't actually contribute much to making the world different. If not for the magic silver bars, the world would have turned out exactly the same, though perhaps a bit slower, only with actual engineering ingenuity instead of magic. Yes, the ending did depend on the magic of the silver bars, but it was very allegorical to real life. I tend to expect certain things when I am reading a fantasy book, and this did not deliver in that respect.
If you're looking for a plot-heavy, high-stakes fantasy with vast worldbuilding, this is not the book for you. Categorizing this book as fantasy is not it; it falls more within the lines of historical fiction, so if you enjoy historical fiction, you will definitely enjoy this more than if you're going into it expecting fantasy. If you enjoy the intricacies of language and think the meaning of words and translation are interesting, there is so much of that in this book! If the historical and modern significance and effects of colonialism and imperialism are something you want to read about, this is the book for you! If you want to be utterly torn apart by a friendship between four people that doesn't end well, read this book. This is ultimately a very real and uncomfortable story that deals with topics that are incredibly relevant but are hard to read about and grapple with. This is an important book. I just wish it had been crafted a little differently.
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, Colonisation, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Classism
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Racism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Death, Classism, Torture, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Gore, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Child abuse, Grief, War, Misogyny, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Blood, Hate crime, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Body horror, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Bullying, Mental illness, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Vomit, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Rape, and Sexual violence
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Before I start giving a brief synopsis, CW and thoughts, I want to say this: the author is a great writer; she's technically excellent in achieving what she put her mind to. The style itself is detached, reminiscent of literary fiction novels who tend to contemplate themes than tell an action filled story.
Back to the book itself: We follow our protagonist, Robin Swift, a Chinese boy, as he is saved from a precarious situation by one mysterious Professor Richard Lovell, and taken to England to be prepared for a position in a prestigious college named Babel. From there, the story is very much learning, loneliness, separation- both cultural and physical, anxiety about who one is and what they should be; friendship; betrayal; family; the importance of identity and belonging to a group; <b>COLONIALISM</b> ; cruelty; how much evil can bigotry cause in the world; xenophobia, etc...You get the idea.>..>
I love the quote it come with on the cover...:<b><i>"Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal."</i></b>
I believe this book exemplifies how much people want to translate themselves from fear of loneliness, hate and desire to be important and acknowledged --> so in other words..how much they betray themselves and others by doing so.
CW: murder,depictions of slavery, dehumanisation, grooming, gaslighting , cultural appropiation;drug use, addiction as a weapon, xenophobia, racism, abuse towards children, exploitation of people and ideas not your own,etc
My thoughts on the <b>characters: </b> Our MC, Robin is a coward and an overworked, groomed and highly abused individual fixated on survival; fact I found moving and just right for the story Kuang wanted to tell. He is the perfect vessel to portray WHY ALL THE STRUGGLE TO BE SEEN IS IMPORTANT FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES we (and here I especially mean white people like me) forget with the passage of time from an era filled with exploitation and appropriation.
He struggles with connections, fact he quickly identifies as well as the cause of it; he desperately seeks companionship in Ramy, Victoire and Letty, in Mrs. Piper, in Griffin and in Babel itself, despite knowing how and why his reality (that is very much painful at times) is shaped.
As I said before, Kuang writes in a detached manner; we have a first person POV, but it's very far off Robin. We get to connect with him (or at least I did...though I need very little connections to MCs if I enjoy the project of the book..>.>...) and get to explore the personalities of several key players: mostly Lovell, Griffin and Ramy(who become extremely important to Robin).
All this being said, character work is ok to good.
<b>Atmosphere: </b>THIS IS IT! an academic setting full of language discussions and debates; interpretations and uses for it and for the object of it's interpretation....<b>great if you're in the mood to philosophize about meanings to very abstract things</b>... like light, speed, etc. >..>
<b>World building:</b> Due to this being an alternative to our world, the author solidly created the silver-driven society needed for language to be important and powerful. I really enjoyed the aspects regarding the trade of silver and the political implications added on top of the racism and xenophobia.
<b>10/10 points for Babel's usage and meaning for every character in this book; also 11/10 for the usage of silver....the magic in this novel is well thought-off.</b>
<b>Plot:</b> R.F.Kuang took me by surprise when it came to character choices and outcomes! ^^ I really enjoyed that! We have loses both of lives and of relationships; we have acts born of different beliefs and impulses; we have a large underground society; we have opposing parties; we have world-level political machinations; we have egos and survival; we have the shielded, the elevated and cosy vs the unfortunate and "barbaric"; we have history and the here and now.
In the end, the plot is not shocking or unexpected, but I think you miss the point if that's all that matters to you...
Overall, I highly recommend you give this book a try if the synopsis sounds interesting; you might love it or not, but you'll definitely respect it.
Enjoy
Graphic: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Sexism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Addiction, and Bullying
yajairat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I have very mixed feelings on the four main characters. I feel like they were... underdeveloped? With the exception of Robin since it was mostly told from his point of view. I felt like I didn't get a full picture of who they were and their friendship dynamic, and it seemed like the author wanted me to care about that. But I wish we got to see more of that friendship be explored and not just narrated to us. We would get time periods where they weren't getting along, but they never had actual conversations about it, it was just stated that they just got over that rough patch. I think I would have been more deeply affected by how the other characters ended up if we got some more insight into their stories. I could say the same with Griffin's character too.
Overall, it was a very solid read with great insights on a very dark period of history (that we still see the ramifications of). Had some flaws but would still recommend!
Some quotes I liked:
"Loss just meant a lack, meant something was missing, but it did not encompass the totality of this severance, this terrifying un-anchoring from all that he'd ever known"
"Betrayal. Translation means doing violence upon the original, means warping and distorting it for foreign unintended eyes... how can we conclude, except by acknowledging that an act of translation is then necessarily always an act of betrayal?"
"Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon team without borrowed goods"
"It sounded so abstract -just categories of use, exchange, and value - until it wasn't; until you realized the web you lived in and the exploitations of your lifestyle demanded, until you saw looming above it all the spectre of colonial labour and colonial pain"
"That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hping someone else understands"
"Liberation was a string of coincidences, of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and luck"
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, War, Classism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Suicide, Xenophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, War, Classism, Grief, Death, and Hate crime
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Blood, and Physical abuse
Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Death of parent, and Drug abuse