Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for “Babel” by R.F. Kuang and also mentions of suicide/violence.
I was recently informed by the streets that we have had a dearth of scathing reviews. Everyone, including myself, has been too positive in their critiques, and apparently, insults are what make the editing process entertaining. So here we go.
I’m a binge-reader. I will sit down with a book at 8 p.m. and not move until the last page has been turned, but this is contingent on the fact that the book itself is a page-turner. Reading “Babel” felt like a chore. I kept doing mental math in my head … one-third done … okay halfway done … 150 pages … epilogue … ????
Here’s a brief summary before I dive into my complaints. “Babel” follows the journey of Robin Swift, a young boy who is plucked from his home in Canton — present-day Guangdong Province, China — and brought to Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation, nicknamed Babel, to become a translator for the British Crown. He endures blatant racism over and over again, disparaged by off-the-cuff comments and direct insults from faculty and students alike. Then a bunch of stuff happens, lots of mental gymnastics and absolutely batshit crazy plot points, and we’re left with an epilogue wherein Robin has sacrificed himself, and one of his best friends, Victoire, has escaped to America to hopefully continue the fight against injustice.
So here’s my struggle. The book is essentially a call to violence. The first page of the book offers an alternative title: “The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution.” Robin’s journey, from being awed at the magnificence of Oxford to recognizing its flagrantly racist intentions to eventually embracing and glorifying violence, emphasizes the author’s message that to fight global injustice, violence is absolutely necessary.
That makes me uncomfortable.
We won’t bother going into the fact that the pacing of the plot was jarring, there was more narration of linguistics history than actual plot, and all the characters, apart from the lovely Anthony Ribben, felt rather flat.
As for some positives, credit where credit is due, R.F. Kuang did her research. The book is flooded with historical details and deep dives into the etymologies of countless words as they appear in the story. Peppered throughout the story are also messages of hope, resilience and redemption that lift the mood.
I’ll leave you with, honestly, the only quote that resonated with me in this book. Here, Robin has just been introduced to Babel, and he realizes that he will play a valuable role in expanding the research base at the institution because he has the gift of his native tongues, Cantonese and Mandarin.
“He felt also a thrum of excitement at the thought that perhaps his unbelonging did not doom him to existing forever at the margins, that perhaps, instead, it made him special.”
