Sometimes, I open a book I vaguely heard about, without any expectations, and it turns out to be awesome and life is good. This is one of these times. This story is a success on every aspect.

First, it is based on clever premises : "What if translation was an actual tool ?". It sounds probably odd when laid out like this but it actually works. From this point, all the implications, the shifts in power, the new needs that arise are dissected throughout the novel and are a delight to discover.

Then, there is the story itself. It is tense, even more so since the main characters are quite lovable and you don't them to be put in harm's way (or maybe you do, you monster...). And yet, I felt at the same time this kind of "Harry Potter" atmosphere where you get to enjoy slices of life of students.

And finally there are the themes tackled by this story. You have pretty much everything, #colonialism, #racism, #sexism, #intersectionality, #homosexuality, #capitalism... The great strentgh of this book is to show you very naturally the horror of these interlocked systems and how the only way out is to destroy them. It describes in details all the mechanisms that are put in place to justify such an unjust world, and how it destroys little by little those that are not at the top of it. I feel like this is an excellent introduction to these subjects, especially for people who would struggle with more didactic works. And it is necessary, one of the first litterature critic I read about this book missed the point of this story entirely by complaining about how white people were generally portrayed as bad people...

So, do not hesitate, read it, it brought me the same surge of joy when reading it than when I watched #Andor. The joy that this work precisely points everything that you feel is wrong in the world today, clearly labels it as such and minutely dissects why. The joy to see that you're not alone thinking that this world is messed up. This joy brings me strength. And I hope it does for you too.

(comment on Babel)