Book Recommendation: Babel by R.F. Kuang
I’m calling it: Babel by R.F. Kuang is the best book I’ve read this year, and a new favorite.
This book was published last year. It’s set in Oxford in an alternate history 1830s, but I have a feeling this will be an ever-relevant read. It could be described as a dark academia coming-of-age novel with elements of fantasy or magical realism, and it certainly hits all the beats of those genres. But by the time I finished the book, I had the sense that R.F. Kuang had achieved something genre-defying with this marvelous, marvelous work.
I went into Babel without knowing much about it, and I’d encourage anyone else to do the same, so I’ll leave this review spoiler-free and sparse on detail. But here’s what I will say if you need an extra push to read it:
What I loved about this book…
The setting. If you’ve ever visited Oxford, you know — the “city of dreaming spires” is one of the dreamiest little towns. It’s cinematic and charming. You can tell it’s full of century after century of stories. I’ve been once and would love to go back to those ancient buildings, cobblestone streets, and cozy pubs.
The prose. R.F. Kuang has a remarkable talent. At first glance, I was worried that this book with its 500+ page count would take me forever to get through, but after reading through the first chapter, I was no longer worried about the page count. On the contrary: I considered every page a gift.
The plot twists. When I tell you I audibly gasped at the end of Book III, I’m not exaggerating. The second half of this novel is propulsive.
What made it a stand-out read…
Expansiveness. Babel spans decades and continents, but nowhere did it feel disjointed, glossed-over, or overwhelming. Every part of the story is character-driven, which made the leaps in time and space feel natural.
Meticulousness. Kuang’s attention to detail is evident before the story even begins — you’ll know what I mean as soon as you read the author’s note at the start of the book. She’s accounted for every detail of life in the 1830s not only at Oxford, but in the British Empire as a whole.
Fearlessness. The full title of this book is Babel, or the Necessity of Violence. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Kuang’s dedication to the story and to the message is thought-provoking and brave. She takes on an empire.
In short — go read this book. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It’s in my top five reads of the year for sure, and it might be the best book I’ve read all year.
I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite quotes from the novel, paired with some photos from when I visited Oxford a number of years ago…
