I'm on page 193 where the kids are just starting their third year. I already knew about this book's "reputation", both the good and the bad, and decided to give a shot. I've read plenty of stories or watched movies that the "general" audience pretty much hated, most of them I ended up liking so I was hopeful that the same thing would happen for Babel.
Nearly 200 pages in, I think the critics were kinda right about some of the stuff they were talking about. To put it lightly… the book sometomes feels like the stereotype of a fanfiction. And I don't mean to automatically imply that all fanfics are bad, I've encountered tons that could easily replace its own source materials especially ones that ended badly (*cough* game of thrones), but as a longtime fanfic reader and writer, there are stories that end up "simplifying" some plot elements or points just because the author (and/or the readers) wants to focus on something else that interests them more. Again, in fanfic, this isn't a bad thing. Most fic writers are just writing to have fun and indulge themselves and there are tags to help readers look for the stories they actually want to read. But it just felt so bizarre seeing the same thing playing out in a book that was written by a supposedly professional writer, who also has an editor, and possibly even people to beta read, before finally releasing it.
Letty, for example, doesn't feel like a character. She felt like she was just made to tell the reader that racism bad, as proven time and time again by Letty the Racist over here. I don't get why the group even hangs around with her. She doesn't (or hasn't) given enough redeeming scenes that explain why the group still cares about her. Robin's pov tells us that the group is his family and has mentioned several times about moments that tighten their friendship or prove how much they already know each other, sometimes even telling us like he's a much older Robin reminiscing about the past. As for actually showing it though, in my opinion, it felt severely lacking.
In a nutshell, the concepts introduced in the book are very intriguing, which makes it all the more disappointing when I realize that the execution of those said concepts is probably going to be "simplified"… a lot. It's just a lot of black and white to it and… idk, I was just expecting more. It even kinda feels like I'm watching a book version of Hazbin Hotel, or a show like Hazbin Hotel, where the plot and characters hold a lot of potential for an amazing and thought-provoking story, but they all end up being more simple and straightforward than one would have expected.
by kain-rivers