Babel wonderfully handles the lived experiences of POCs in a white world. Personally, the most resonant aspect is Robin Swift's evolving perspective of the world he lives in. As a white-passing Chinese man raised in upper-class England, Robin's interactions with his surroundings continually shape how he thinks of his motherland, Oxford, the empire, and his place in society.

The book's tone is heavily academic with many descriptions of Oxford and footnotes about etymology, which may put some readers off.