This is honestly such an important book. Babel is set in a magical realism world of London in the 1800's and tackles so many important topics like racism, imperialism, colonialism, and poverty while also analyzing how all of those interconnect and impact people in different ways.
It starts off with a feeling of wonder at this new and different world. One that is so similar to ours, but yet so different. And even as it manages to keep that wonder, the dread of these isms still creeps in until you're no longer reading a story about a magical London with silver bars that can do almost anything through the power of translation, you're reading a story about colonialism and the destruction of cultures and languages.
Kuang has such a great way of starting and finishing a book at almost two completely different feelings but yet making them connect gradually and even though you can see the harsh realities of Robin's situation from the beginning, you're willing to overlook them just like he did because of the fascination with that magical world.
I will say that I had a hard time getting through this one. I started it as I was coming out of a reading slump and it promptly put me back in one. It was slow to start for me. The time Robin spent learning and growing became a little boring at times, but I knew that it was necessary for the pacing of the book as well. The ending was phenomenal though. It was one thing after the next and so fast paced that it made up for the beginning being a little slow.
I think this is a necessary read for everyone especially those who don't know the harms that colonization and imperialism can cause and how they can't affect entire cultures. It was truly a well-written book.