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A review by jiobiee
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
OVERALL: 8/10, or 4/5 stars.
The quintessential dark academia novel. What it lacks in grace, it makes up for in atmosphere, and the conclusion of Babel left my stomach tied in knots.
The world of Oxford— more specifically, the world of Babel and its Babblers— feels tangible and magical in the way that only the most prestigious of institutions do. For all the wonders they offer, the little things they come to enjoy, the camaraderie of students during exams, and the bakery whose treats they seek refuge in— they all reminded me of my own experience in college. In fact, I’ve had many instructors who speak as though they were Professor Playfair, or were as distant and cold as Professor Lovell. The passion and fervor in which they regard the practice of translation is comparable to the obsession an artist has with their art. And in this way, I found myself returning to the same wonder Robin and his friends found upon their admission into Oxford. I also found the same familiar pit in my stomach that Robin found when the cracks in the surface became more visible. Institutions are not built on wonder and stardust, or even hard work. They’re built on exploitation.
English is my first language. I studied Japanese in a classroom for four years, and I continue to maintain a self study. The notes on translation as a practice were fascinating to me— a practice that is necessary but impossible without sacrifice. Do you translate to be as literal as possible, that the reader is fully aware that they’re reading a translated document? Or do you translate in a manner that becomes more accessible to the culture that is reading it? More importantly, what do you lose in translation by doing so— and how are the rich and powerful manipulating this divide to keep themselves on top?
Nothing is more poignant, however, than how Robin’s story intertwines with his peers. The most diverse cohort to be admitted to Babel thus far, bound by their obligation to translation and to each other. They are there for each other in times of joy, and they are there for each other in their darkest moments. Yet, no matter how strong the bond, they can never truly abandon their ties to imperialism and the ways they both benefit from and harm themselves through it.I hated Letty with a passion by the time I was finished with the novel, but I found myself grieving both the loss of life that came from her betrayal as well as the inability for her to see beyond herself. Her whiteness is her blindness and though she may care for her friends, she will never truly understand what it’s like to experience the effect of the Empire on Robin, Ramy, and Victoire, their families, their cultures, and the cultures of every person that interacts with the Empire. This fundamental difference dooms their friendship from the very beginning. They were always diametrically opposed, and the Empire has always positioned people like Letty to be their victim.
Subtlety, however, is not Kuang’s strong suit. Still, there are more graceful ways to maintain a heavy-hand. The way she handles the themes of colonialism, imperialism and racism are nuanced when looking at the broader strokes of the plot and how they affect the characters and the world they inhabit, although more mundane interactions and especially dialogue suffered tremendously by a lack of it. Some terms were well-researched and fit well into the everyday vernacular of the time period— but the composition of sentences and the occasional millennial slip were unlike anyone of the era. The umbrella term “brown,” for people of color, for example, is not a turn of phrase that would have been used in that manner— the youth of the novel felt like they were plucked out of modern day and placed into the 1800’s, and while it makes for easier reading, it did break my immersion more than once.
Robin was a little dull as a protagonist, up until the very end. His objection to taking action is frustrating at best and mind-numbingly boring at worst. His friends are better than he, although they feel a little flat as well— caricatures of friends, pictures of people that don’t translate so neatly from the mind to the page. They are likable, yes, but I left feeling as though I should’ve known more about them as people than I do. The strained relationship between Robin and his guardian, Mr. Lovell, was almost perfect, however, and I felt every twinge of loneliness that Robin did as I was reading.
A lot of readers seem to take issue with the magic system, but I actually found the system of using etymological word chains between different languages engraved on silver to be fascinating. I don’t really care why it’s silver specifically that it works on, other than the fact that it is a precious metal. That being said, a common criticism that I do share is that I wish there were more tangible effects on the world around them. Barring the ending of the novel, Britain is not changed greatly by the introduction of silver-working magic. I don’t know if I believe that 1800’s England would not have been affected by the presence of magic at all- although I like that it’s become a mundane fact of life, those outside of Babel don’t seem to react to it the way I feel they should.
Which brings me to my next point— the footnotes. I love a good footnote. I don’t even need them to be wholly necessary, so long as they add something of value. What I don’t love is the incessant over-explanation of concepts and ideas that don’t need repetition. Kuang needs to trust her audience more. I am not so dense as to not understand the thematic implications of language origins, translations, or the Empire’s racist, colonialist reign. It’s so heavy-handed and well-researched it becomes a detriment. Being an academic is not the same thing as being a great storyteller— you can’t conflate the two. Kuang writes as if she’s trying to prove the worth of her multiple degrees, and she is by all means incredibly sharp. This is a fantasy, though, and you don’t need to justify fudging the lines or taking a few risks.
Still, her talent is undeniable and if Kuang were a worse writer I’d be giving Babel a significantly lower rating for those reasons. It is not without its issues. What is here, though, is incredible and giving this any lower than 4 stars would be disingenuous.
The quintessential dark academia novel. What it lacks in grace, it makes up for in atmosphere, and the conclusion of Babel left my stomach tied in knots.
The world of Oxford— more specifically, the world of Babel and its Babblers— feels tangible and magical in the way that only the most prestigious of institutions do. For all the wonders they offer, the little things they come to enjoy, the camaraderie of students during exams, and the bakery whose treats they seek refuge in— they all reminded me of my own experience in college. In fact, I’ve had many instructors who speak as though they were Professor Playfair, or were as distant and cold as Professor Lovell. The passion and fervor in which they regard the practice of translation is comparable to the obsession an artist has with their art. And in this way, I found myself returning to the same wonder Robin and his friends found upon their admission into Oxford. I also found the same familiar pit in my stomach that Robin found when the cracks in the surface became more visible. Institutions are not built on wonder and stardust, or even hard work. They’re built on exploitation.
English is my first language. I studied Japanese in a classroom for four years, and I continue to maintain a self study. The notes on translation as a practice were fascinating to me— a practice that is necessary but impossible without sacrifice. Do you translate to be as literal as possible, that the reader is fully aware that they’re reading a translated document? Or do you translate in a manner that becomes more accessible to the culture that is reading it? More importantly, what do you lose in translation by doing so— and how are the rich and powerful manipulating this divide to keep themselves on top?
Nothing is more poignant, however, than how Robin’s story intertwines with his peers. The most diverse cohort to be admitted to Babel thus far, bound by their obligation to translation and to each other. They are there for each other in times of joy, and they are there for each other in their darkest moments. Yet, no matter how strong the bond, they can never truly abandon their ties to imperialism and the ways they both benefit from and harm themselves through it.
Subtlety, however, is not Kuang’s strong suit. Still, there are more graceful ways to maintain a heavy-hand. The way she handles the themes of colonialism, imperialism and racism are nuanced when looking at the broader strokes of the plot and how they affect the characters and the world they inhabit, although more mundane interactions and especially dialogue suffered tremendously by a lack of it. Some terms were well-researched and fit well into the everyday vernacular of the time period— but the composition of sentences and the occasional millennial slip were unlike anyone of the era. The umbrella term “brown,” for people of color, for example, is not a turn of phrase that would have been used in that manner— the youth of the novel felt like they were plucked out of modern day and placed into the 1800’s, and while it makes for easier reading, it did break my immersion more than once.
Robin was a little dull as a protagonist, up until the very end. His objection to taking action is frustrating at best and mind-numbingly boring at worst. His friends are better than he, although they feel a little flat as well— caricatures of friends, pictures of people that don’t translate so neatly from the mind to the page. They are likable, yes, but I left feeling as though I should’ve known more about them as people than I do. The strained relationship between Robin and his guardian, Mr. Lovell, was almost perfect, however, and I felt every twinge of loneliness that Robin did as I was reading.
A lot of readers seem to take issue with the magic system, but I actually found the system of using etymological word chains between different languages engraved on silver to be fascinating. I don’t really care why it’s silver specifically that it works on, other than the fact that it is a precious metal. That being said, a common criticism that I do share is that I wish there were more tangible effects on the world around them. Barring the ending of the novel, Britain is not changed greatly by the introduction of silver-working magic. I don’t know if I believe that 1800’s England would not have been affected by the presence of magic at all- although I like that it’s become a mundane fact of life, those outside of Babel don’t seem to react to it the way I feel they should.
Which brings me to my next point— the footnotes. I love a good footnote. I don’t even need them to be wholly necessary, so long as they add something of value. What I don’t love is the incessant over-explanation of concepts and ideas that don’t need repetition. Kuang needs to trust her audience more. I am not so dense as to not understand the thematic implications of language origins, translations, or the Empire’s racist, colonialist reign. It’s so heavy-handed and well-researched it becomes a detriment. Being an academic is not the same thing as being a great storyteller— you can’t conflate the two. Kuang writes as if she’s trying to prove the worth of her multiple degrees, and she is by all means incredibly sharp. This is a fantasy, though, and you don’t need to justify fudging the lines or taking a few risks.
Still, her talent is undeniable and if Kuang were a worse writer I’d be giving Babel a significantly lower rating for those reasons. It is not without its issues. What is here, though, is incredible and giving this any lower than 4 stars would be disingenuous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War