Jun 30

Jun 30 Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - R. F. Kuang

I am going to have a lot to say about this most excellent book. Be prepared.

R. F. Kuang is a name I did not know until about a year ago. I believe it was through Bookstagram when I learned of her first book, The Poppy War, that I started reading her work. I decided to borrow the book from the library and once I was done, ordered the second and third books almost immediately. Ms. Kuang writes with so much detail and in a way that lets readers know she does her research. She did the same for Babel.

The book is about a young boy from Canton, China (which I learned is now called Guangzhou) who is “rescued” by a London professor . Professor Lovell brings the ailing boy to London, where he is trained to become a student at Oxford University’s prestigious Royal School of Translation. Now known as Robin Swift, young Robin is taken from his home country and thrust into a world that does not belong to him. And that world does not let him forget it.

Robin arrives at the Royal School of Translation, known as Babel, and learns of the school’s true purpose: silver-working. It is the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars and is the source of England’s power. Robin is fascinated by this work and works incredibly hard to learn. The coursework is stressful and so is the pressure he receives from Professor Lovell. Robin is caught between wanting to fit in at school and making Professor Lovell proud. But things start taking a turn for him when he becomes embroiled in a secret organization called the Hermes Society. Its mission: take down Babel and the Empire.

Through Hermes, Robin begins to see the cracks in Babel, Professor Lovell and himself. He begins to see the true nature of why he was brought to London and what is expected of him. The realization puts Robin at odds with the Professor, Babel, Oxford and England itself.

As someone who went to a PWI, I can tell you that I felt seen reading this book, as I imagine MANY people of color will when they read it. We are always told that going to college is a right of passage, but when we arrive, for most of us, we are treated as outsiders who should be grateful to be there. We are never fully accepted no matter what we do, and usually have to find our own people to feel comfortable. Robin and his friends were no different, subjected to the racism and misogyny that makes life so difficult when it shouldn’t be. And, like Robin, our feelings are all over the place while at school: happy for being there; sad to be away from what we know and surrounded by white people who don’t want us there; guilty for being in such a privileged position while others don’t get the same chance; terrified we won’t live up to the expectations put on us by family and society as a whole; angry because we just want to learn and hate the obstacles thrown at us every single day.

R.F. Kuang did a masterful job of putting all of those feelings on paper, but what I am most impressed with is the ease in which she writes about words and their meanings. I was captivated by the use of translation throughout the book and how words can mean different things depending on the region. For anyone who may think this would take away from the story, fear not. The translations only added a richness to it that, in my opinion, would have made the book feel a little unfinished had it not been included.

I feel so incredibly lucky whenever I receive an advance copy of a book. I was almost desperate to get this one and when I was approved, I literally jumped for joy. I will be ordering Babel for my private library collection so I can read it again whenever I want.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Amazon