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painausten314's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? No
5.0
r.f. kuang takes a little bit of history, some of her own life experience, and a bit of magical thinking to create the story of babel, 19th century oxford's prestigious translation institute. babel is a fantasy, but with accurate reflections on empire, colonization, whiteness, and racism. promising children from around the world are taken from their homes to be taught and trained in the english way, so they can someday attend babel and use their language skills to work for the empire.
this book explores what happens when the life you want to live directly conflicts with your personal identity and values. it's a harrowing story of heartbreak, resistance, and the ripple effect of white saviorism. but it is also one of love, friendship, sacrifice, and solidarity.
maybe my favorite part of kuang's writing in babel were the footnotes. it's not often that i read a novel that has footnotes, and she writes them beautifully. some of them are historical references that support the plot line and others are fictional elements that explain the story or characters. if you read babel - and you should - definitely don't skip the footnotes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Islamophobia, Grief, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism