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A review by panikos
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
This book is a masterpiece. I'll write a proper review tomorrow, seeing as I stayed up past midnight to finish this and I have work in the morning.
Edit: okay, here is the proper review. This is not only one of the best books I've read this year, but one of the best books I've ever read. The premise is so brilliantly original, the characters are charismatic and complex, the writing is beautiful, the pacing is excellent, and the themes it grapples with are vast and difficult but always given the nuance they deserve.
I love so much that this book takes its time. At no point is this book ever boring, but I love the unhurried pace of the first half, where we learn all about Oxford and Babel, where we see the characters befriend one another, where we learn about the mechanics of this alternative England and how silverworking operates. The thing I most admire about Kuang's writing is that she really, truly succeeds in making you love Babel. Even though you know from the outset that it is a sinister place with rot at its core, you are still charmed by it, in the same way that our main characters are charmed. The fact that Kuang spends so long making us love Oxford means that we get to share how Robin feels when the illusion crumbles, revealing the ugly face that we knew was there all along. Likewise, the friendships between the cohort are so well-rendered and believable that it's unbearable to see them fracture, even though you know that they will.
The theme of duality is impeccably handled throughout the book. This story is about being unable to reconcile the meanings of words in different languages, but that metaphor is carried through into every other aspect of the book, too. It's about being trapped between cultural identities, about despising elitist institutions yet desperately wishing to be accepted by them, about wanting to do the right thing yet not to your own detriment, about loving and hating people simultaneously. There are so many layers to this story and Kuang handles them in a way that makes it look easy.
The book feels simultaneously like a love letter to academia and a scathing critique of it - a duality which feels fitting, given the themes of the book. It hurtles towards a devastating climax which is simultaneously impossible to predict and yet totally inevitable. The whole book feels like that. So many things happen that make you grit your teeth and wish they could have turned out differently, yet you know they couldn't. Like all good tragedies, you know how it is going to end, and yet you hope anyway.
This was a 5 star read from start to finish. Cannot recommend it enough.
Edit: okay, here is the proper review. This is not only one of the best books I've read this year, but one of the best books I've ever read. The premise is so brilliantly original, the characters are charismatic and complex, the writing is beautiful, the pacing is excellent, and the themes it grapples with are vast and difficult but always given the nuance they deserve.
I love so much that this book takes its time. At no point is this book ever boring, but I love the unhurried pace of the first half, where we learn all about Oxford and Babel, where we see the characters befriend one another, where we learn about the mechanics of this alternative England and how silverworking operates. The thing I most admire about Kuang's writing is that she really, truly succeeds in making you love Babel. Even though you know from the outset that it is a sinister place with rot at its core, you are still charmed by it, in the same way that our main characters are charmed. The fact that Kuang spends so long making us love Oxford means that we get to share how Robin feels when the illusion crumbles, revealing the ugly face that we knew was there all along. Likewise, the friendships between the cohort are so well-rendered and believable that it's unbearable to see them fracture, even though you know that they will.
The theme of duality is impeccably handled throughout the book. This story is about being unable to reconcile the meanings of words in different languages, but that metaphor is carried through into every other aspect of the book, too. It's about being trapped between cultural identities, about despising elitist institutions yet desperately wishing to be accepted by them, about wanting to do the right thing yet not to your own detriment, about loving and hating people simultaneously. There are so many layers to this story and Kuang handles them in a way that makes it look easy.
The book feels simultaneously like a love letter to academia and a scathing critique of it - a duality which feels fitting, given the themes of the book. It hurtles towards a devastating climax which is simultaneously impossible to predict and yet totally inevitable. The whole book feels like that. So many things happen that make you grit your teeth and wish they could have turned out differently, yet you know they couldn't. Like all good tragedies, you know how it is going to end, and yet you hope anyway.
This was a 5 star read from start to finish. Cannot recommend it enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual assault