— Kevin Pagan
“Remembering Babylon” should be considered a “great work.” It was an interesting novel that highlighted a plethora of themes including racism, colonialism, gender, etc. This novel doesn’t really focus on one character, but instead taps into the minds of all the main ones. Character development played a crucial role in making this novel “great.” Reading about Jock McIvor’s character growth sort of reminded me about my growth. After Gemmy has been attacked, Jock loses trust in his “friends” and is sort of enlightened. He realized how close-minded they were, and I had a similar experience. It kind of sucked, but it was for the best. You can only truly grow from experiences and failures. The novel in general can be difficult to relate to. Although it is set back in the mid-19th century, you can argue that it is a contemporary text because issues such as racism and xenophobia prevail today, especially with the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. It’s definitely on my list of greats.
