Babel
R. F. Kuang
Very much a book of stages - the first stage was a good start, yet another alternative vision of Oxford (someone could write a book on literary versions of Oxford) which was well drawn and interesting but then things started to drag. It became slow then and I actually abandoned it for a while. It still seemed slow when I resumed it (that trip to Canton and back almost felt like it was told in real-time) but then at about the 70% mark it (almost literally) exploded into life and action and I had to spend the rest of the day finishing the book. And what a stunning ending it was! (No spoilers here).
So we have a story about a language translation institute using the power of words and silver to underpin the British Empire of Edwardian times (it all sort of makes sense once you read it). We follow Robin Swift from this birth in Canton to this nicely described alternative Oxford and learn of his friends and his live there.
One the one hand this can appear like a rather heavy handed allegory or some sort of deconstruction of colonialism, and I guess it is, but it is a cracking story if you have the will power to see it through to the end. A deserved award winner.