This book was bold and ambitious and fierce and it gave what it was supposed to give. I am in an emotional hangover. I don’t think I’ll be able to truly process everything about this book. There’s not a single thing, a single line, a single word that I dislike about this. I literally soaked this book like a sponge, and then it turned on me, and wrung out every essence of my being. The only book that has ever done this is The Book Thief and even then, this book surpasses the emotional hangover that I had then. I will probably never forgive RF Kuang for this, and I simultaneously want to give her every dollar I can afford.
It’s hard not to talk about without talking about the research that went into it. The linguistics were fantastic, but that’s not what grabbed me. Kuang managed to spin all that knowledge into a powerful theme, and somehow translated it into a very emotionally engaging story.
The etymological lectures that people often complain about this book, were rich with theme and ideas, rich with nuance and complexity disguised as a lecture about linguistics. I wanted to stay in the lecs forever, just be a student of Babel for the chance to hear Playfair being all dramatic. Everything worked to enrich Kuang’s theme. The setting, the silver work, the characters, the events, this all worked to make it an intensely cathartic read.
The world building in this book was excellent. The school aspect of Babel, the politics, the mundanity of the silver work, the Hermes Soc, the world was fantastically developed. My favourite setting had to be Book 3, when we went back to Canton. God, the horror of it all was brilliant, Commander Lin, the opium war, the declaration of war, the MASSIVE THING, top notch.
The plot was slow at the beginning, but RF Kuang managed to infuse tension and powerful scenes to keep me on the edge of my seat at all times. Literally, everytime Lovell showed up, I was on the edge. Everytime Robin had to do Hermes, I was on the edge. Slow, but every chapter end felt immensely rewarding.
The last three books were the most exciting of them all. When personal stakes met, combined, and crashed, and the higher stakes started to come together, I could not stop flipping pages. I read for four hours straight and I’ve never felt so emotionally twisted. My tear ducts need a break.
The characters were my favourite flavour of this book. Victoire will always have my heart. Her development is hidden in pieces till the end, but even with glimpses, I could see her whole life laid out in front of her. Same goes the other characters; Kuang’s strength lies in the tragic subtext that is only seen through snapshots. Snapshots that show a little, but tell a thousand words. Even before I met them, I felt like I knew who they were. Even before they did anything, I felt like I had already heard what they were thinking.
My personal favourite will always be Griffin. Everything he stands for, his tragic backstory only hinted at, his motives, his actions, his cause, his ability: Griffin is the one I heard and will stay with me the most. Griffin was a pleasure to read, and so damn capable.
Robin was a work of translation I wouldn’t have understood if I hadn’t read from his view. Going with him throughout the story evoked a mixture of empathy, sadness and frustration. It was both a delight to see him experience happiness and frustrating to be stuck in the initial phase of his character arc with him. RF Kuang did a great job of exploring him, translating him to me, so much that I could empathise with him throughout the story, and feel ultimately crushed and defeated when his story ended.
I can’t stress how much I love this book. Words just don’t have the power to translate.
