No spoiler overview

Katabasis is an incredible exploration of the hero’s journey. I felt like this story was an activity in taking a step back to look at what life is about, and why we go through the messiness of life. Similar to Babel, this book is heavy on allusions. I don’t feel stupid for not knowing them all, but makes me curious to explore more. Classic to Kuang, there are lots of twists and turns to keep a reader on their toes.

Rebecca Kuang has a knack for writing stories that make you want to learn more and come up with your own hypothesis. While it wasn’t perfectly executed, Katabasis got me thinking, which I always value. Afterwards I reflected on the cost of ambition, the impact of kindness, and the things that really matter in life.

Full review

There’s so much to unpack from this book. I think I could reread this several times and still find more. On my first read, one of the major points that stood out to me was the feminism (maybe that should be in quotes). The scene between Alice and the female advisor after she was abused really stuck with me. This advisor claims to be a feminist who paved the way for other women in the field to excel. Instead of doing what she could to help further Alice’s career, she took it as an opportunity to stand on a soapbox. Alice wasn’t in the right with her negative attitude toward this woman either. But how different would things be if she’d helped Alice instead?

I will say, the romantic angle of this book caught me of guard. Alice and Peter have a very typical rivals-to-lovers arc, but in the weirdest setting (finding love in a hopeless place to the max). The romance didn’t detract from the overall story for me, but it did not feel the most natural. The major breakthrough moment, when Peter is sacrificing himself for Alice, felt like it came out of nowhere. We didn’t get a lot of emotion until that point which would’ve taken the reader along a little more.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.