A review by lottiegasp
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
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? Yes
4.75
This novel is a speculative historical fiction set in 1830s England where the practice of "silver-working" involves uttering to a piece of silver a word translated into two different languages and the gap in meaning between those translational manifests as energy in the silver. The story centres around Robin Swift, a boy born in Canton who loses his family as a boy and is taken in by a mysterious guardian who sets him up for success as a translation student at Babel, Oxford, the world centre of silver-working.
Robin and his classmates are offered some glory for studying at Babel. But they soon come to realise that while their foreigness is what makes them so great at silver-working by virtue of their aptitute in several languages, they will always be made to feel like second-class citizens and perpetual foreigners in England.
The story covers various important social and political themes including racism, misogyny and how the two intersect; white privilege and how rare it is to give that up; class and racial solidarity; the history of colonialism especially the UK in China (the opium wars) and India.
The book is very well-written. I sometimes find the dialogue and writing style in historical fiction to be forced in trying to be old-timey, but I found it really natural in this one. I loved the ways that etymologies and translations were woven into the story, especially as an insight into different cultural perspectives
Robin and his classmates are offered some glory for studying at Babel. But they soon come to realise that while their foreigness is what makes them so great at silver-working by virtue of their aptitute in several languages, they will always be made to feel like second-class citizens and perpetual foreigners in England.
The story covers various important social and political themes including racism, misogyny and how the two intersect; white privilege and how rare it is to give that up; class and racial solidarity; the history of colonialism especially the UK in China (the opium wars) and India.
The book is very well-written. I sometimes find the dialogue and writing style in historical fiction to be forced in trying to be old-timey, but I found it really natural in this one. I loved the ways that etymologies and translations were woven into the story, especially as an insight into different cultural perspectives
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Racism