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odairannies 's review for:
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
"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 endeavour, however futile, to move between them."
a journey into the world of dark academia, dusty libraries, long lectures, sleepless nighs and secret societies. add to that the horrors of colonialism, constant sense of injustice, lies and betrayal. a beautifully crafted cobweb of linguistics and politics.
i definitely enjoyed both sides of the story. the work that was done is truly colossal: endless etymology, historical research, it all added to the atmosphere of old oxford. the book gives you the excursion into translation while conveying a very powerful message.
however, although i usually love long novels, i think this one could've been shorter because at times it felt a little repetitive. between the beginning and the climax, the story often seemed uneventful. or maybe i felt this way because i couldn't truly get attached to the characters. i didn't... feel their friendship which is surprising to me, the biggest found family enjoyer. it had sweet and sour moments but somehow still ended up being sort of plain, as though it got lost under the massive wave of the events, explanations, thoughts. that's why i can't give it 5 stars, it could've been absolutely devastating to me otherwise.
it was still a very interesting and compelling read though. a word as a weapon. the necessery of violence in revolution. the importance of fighting for your identity. i don't regret the time spent on it.
"this is how colonialism works. it convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demanded it."