Review: You should read this book and I’m going to do my best to tell you why. 

 

“Babel: An Arcane History” is told primarily from the perspective of Robin Swift, an orphan from Canton who is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell in hopes that he will one day enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation (Babel). Once there, Robin learns the art of Silver-working—manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—and that serving Babel means betraying his motherland. Caught between Babel and putting a stop to imperial expansion, Robin is left with the difficult choice of giving in or fighting back. 

 

“Babel: An Arcane History” is both thought-provoking and incredibly insightful. Kuang challenges colonialism and the patriarchy, captures the complexities in relation to translation, broaches topics like nature versus nurture, and speaks to the necessity of violence with regards to revolution. She stretches the mind, appeals to her reader’s emotions to evoke feeling, and she does all this through her well-developed characters. 

 

The novel’s length allows for the reader to become fully acquainted with Robin and his cohorts. Following Robin throughout the many stages of his life and reading singular chapters written from the point-of-view of other characters like Remy, Letty, and Victoire creates a sense of familiarity surrounding their very real struggles, inner conflicts, motivations, and for some, showcases their development from Babel scholar to revolutionary. Robin’s viewpoint in conjunction with Kuang’s descriptive prose also immerses the reader in the Oxford environment and politics, which contributes greatly to the plot. 

 

Kuang does not hold back in her commentary on race, class, gender, education, and language while masterfully weaving in elements of fantasy and history. I cannot recommend enough that you pick up “Babel: An Arcane History” and see its brilliance for yourself.