A review by ultravioletcatastrophe
Babel by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this book for many reasons: the focus on language and linguistics, the smart interrogation of how power functions and its relationship to violence, and especially for the refusal to play the false equivalence game between revolutionary anticolonial violence and the violence of a colonial power, while also not romanticising the former.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Torture

Main character death