Babel: An Arcane History
Available at Bookshop.org
5/5
“But its just trade...Everyone benefits; everyone profits even if it’s only one country that profits a good deal more. Continuous. gains—that’s the logic isn’t it? So why would we ever try to break out? The point is, Birdie, I think I understand why you didn’t see. Almost no one does.”
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? Historical fantasy, magical realism, literary fiction
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? Not that kind of book
Is it spicy? No
Is it violent or gory? Murder, hand to hand combat, professional army against civilians, acts of rebellion/terrorism
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? BUY IT
“This is how colonialism works. It convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demand it.”
Review: If there is one book that I can recommend for those who are looking for something accessible, but challenging, it is Babel. I found so much of myself in Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty. While Robin is quite the unreliable narrator, his internal struggle to fit it and be grateful for the opportunities afforded him is uncomfortably familiar. Ramy’s anger and frustration is palpable. Victoire’s desperate struggle to survive is painful. Letty’s stubbornness to incorporate other people’s perspective in her worldview and refusal to see the worst in situations is frustratingly relatable. I truly felt equally heartbroken and exposed as they struggled with the realization that they had paid the price of their souls for a beautiful lie.
Kuang’s intricate balance of critiquing empire, condemning colonialism, elevating the struggles of minorities, and examining varying perspectives is masterfully done. Her work has inspired me to dig deeper into my own understanding of these issues in my life as a minority who’s ethnicity continues to be heavily impacted by colonialism and empire. What is my role as someone who has benefitted from their homeland being colonized and changed while my former countrymen live with the consequences, for better and for worse? Who am I as an immigrant who knows only the world she immigrated to rather than the one she emigrated from? What is my relationship to empire and does it need to change? These questions and this story will sit with me for, quite frankly, the rest of my life.
“Violence is the only language they understand, because their system of extraction is inherently violent. Violence shocks the system. And the system cannot survive the shock. You have no idea what you’re capable of, truly. You can’t imagine how the world might shift unless you pull the trigger.”