This is exactly how I feel about people’s criticism of Babel by R.F. Kuang. It’s literally not about convincing the reader that colonialism or racism are bad. Those things are giving. It’s taking the reader on the main character’s dilemma on the cost of his privilege. It frustrates me to no end how the point of the books gets discussed.
I read Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko in one of the hardest times in my life. When I read it I felt like it was written just for me. Like my life in a fantasy format. Since then it is my safe space book