This is definitely more historical fiction than it is historical fantasy, though the fantasy elements are integral to the story. In this way, Babel is similar to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell, to which it’s hard not to make comparisons as both are set in England in the 1800s and involve magic. It was a good book but not the 5-star read I was expecting after having heard so much about it.
Babel tells the story of Robin Swift, who was born in China and then brought to England around the age of 11 with the expectation of his guardian (and father, though he doesn’t explicitly admit that to Robin) that he will eventually attend the Royal Institute of Translation (AKA Babel) at Oxford. There Robin becomes close friends with the rest of his cohort: Ramy, Letty, and Victoria. He also becomes more aware of how problematic Britain in general and Babel specifically are in their treatment of people of color and of British colonies, and early in during his time at Babel he starts taking some cautious steps to address this by aligning himself with a secret society.
We are told how close Robin’s cohort becomes, and this is an area in which the novel falls flat. We don’t get to see enough of their interactions, so we’re taking it at Kuang’s word that they are best friends who would do anything for each other. More scenes showcasing their interactions, camaraderie, and support of each other might have made some of the characters’ later decisions more impactful to readers.
I thought the magic system was interesting. “Babblers” use magic by inscribing a word and its English translation on silver bars, and the information that is lost in that translation becomes captured by the silver and manifests as magic. England, and especially Oxford, embed silver bars in everything. The bars help trains and ships move faster, prevent accidents on the road, and are even used by the wealthy to make flowers appear more vibrant. I wish we had gotten to see more examples of some of the translations and how the translators worked them out. This exclusion is part of what makes the fantasy aspect feel lacking. However, the focus on language led to one of my favorite passages in the novel: “[Learning about language] changed the way they spoke. Constantly they trailed off in the middle of sentences. They could not utter even common phrases and aphorisms without pausing to wonder where those words came from.”
Kuang is a good writer. Like Yellowface, I would say the novel isn’t exactly fun to read, but it’s meaningful. Neither book is subtle in its commentary on racism, but this commentary is necessary. In the novel, Letty experiences sexism, but she isn’t able to see how other forms of oppression matter just as much to her friends, regardless of how well they are supposedly being treated by Babel. There are still a lot of people out there like Letty, and these are some of the people who need to be reading this book. This is a thought-provoking novel deserving of 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.