Literary in the City

RATING: 4.5/5

“You fly no one’s flag. You’re free to seek your own harbor. And you can do so much more than tread water.”

Babel

This book is a weapon.

While its words are definitely weapons that unmask a grim history of exploitation and colonialism, I mean this more in the sense that this book is so massive that it could literally be used as a physical weapon. 

I’ve recommended Babel to countless friends. I always say, “This book took me an entire month to finish.” Nevertheless, I always add, “It may be colossal, but it is absolutely worth it.”

Set in 1830s England, Babel follows four students at the Royal Institute of Translation. Ardent lovers of language, Robin, Ramy, Letty, and Victoria form a one-of-a-kind friendship. However, when they learn that the Royal Institute of Translation has some dark secrets, they start to question everything they have ever been taught.

I could write my own Babel-sized tome about why I love this book. The characters put me through such anguish to the point where I was weeping horrendously at 3 AM, but I could not stop reading about them. They were unique, complex, and messy. Moreover, the world-building is just…insane. I felt like I was in Oxford, and I’ve never even visited London.

There is so much detail in this book. In fact, there are footnotes at the bottom of the pages to provide context about certain historical events. Footnotes! So much research went into creating this story, and it pays off. This is a fiction book, yes, but I was also learning as I read. 

At its core, this book is all about language. I’m a huge linguistics nerd, so this was basically my dream come true. Language truly is the foundation of our world. From the daily conversations we have to the Terms and Conditions (Lauren Asher, that one was for you) blurb on our phone that we never look at, language is everywhere. We use language every single day, but do we really know its story? Do we know the history that we stand upon today?

If you need a read that’ll keep you occupied for a while, if you need some more of that good-old dark academia aesthetic in your life, if you want to feel like an academic lurking in a library, or if you’re just looking to have your heart shredded to tiny pieces, try Babel!

If you’ve read Babel or any of R.F. Kuang’s other works, let me know what you thought! ❤

XOXO,

H.

P.S. I highly recommend listening to exile (feat. Bon Iver) by Taylor Swift while reading this book!