“… an act of translation is always an act of betrayal.”
This embodies Babel. A “phenomenal” book engineered by RF Kuang in 2022. It won multiple awards, such as the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Countless videos have been filmed with people gushing over how this book changed their life, how it shifted their perceptions on the world.
Seems extreme, doesn’t it? I thought it did, so I decided to have a read. And there’s just on word I can describe it with:
Metamorphic.
This book changed the way I looked at everything. Languages are so much more than just words; they are too complex for us to even begin to comprehend unless we learn the language. 1800s England was truly a different society, more prejudiced and crueller than now. And this book captures it wonderfully.
Camaraderie and betrayal go hand in hand. Selfishness and selflessness. Love and hate: intertwined.
But what is the book about?
Well, essentially, it’s about four people, 3 of them from China, India, and Haiti, and one English girl, invited to the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford University, Babel. Each person has their own prowess at languages, and work together as a team of four, navigating their lives, as well as the ongoing changes in the world that 1800s England was causing/going through.
The book starts off as magical, alluring. It paints their lives as romantic and idealistic, the embodiment of the ‘dark academia’ aesthetic. But it slowly charts into treacherous waters, with hidden plots and secret societies surfacing, tensions rising between the four friends, and the repercussions the Empire had on the world coming to light.
Full of adventure, romance, sadness, happiness, knowledge, it truly is an experience to read. It is, if I do say so myself, one of the best books I have ever read, and nothing really hits the same after reading this.
Bear in mind, it can be a heavy read so do check any TWs before reading this book.
But my verdict is:
5/5 stars! I recommend!
It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so seize it!
