The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: v. 1 [Paperback]

This is a wonderful book that works best if you know nothing about it beforehand - so don't read the long review already posted which gives away the whole plot!

The reader is plopped into the story in a state of confusion - is this a fantasy? Historical? Are we supposed to understand what is going on? Gradually we get our bearings and the panorama is revealed to us. All of this is done quite masterfully and the reader is hooked throughout.

The only reason for taking a star away is that there is a long and boring section made up of letters sent by a relatively minor character. Letters are always a risky way of telling a story and it does not quite work here. You can skip over it though as the gist of this section can be gleaned in one page (apologies to the author!). After this section, however, the story gets rollicking again and all is well.

I would highly recommend this unusual and riveting book to anyone who is remotely interested in history. It is supposed to be a 'teen' read but I'd say it works for adults and for kids from about the age of 14 upwards. My 16 year old enjoyed it, but it would be far too difficult for my younger children.

In Bookland, there's nothing as satisfactory as picking up a book with no prior knowledge or expectations regarding its plot or style, and being completely dazzled by the entire experience once you're through it. Such was the case with M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Vol. 1. M.T. Anderson gained some notoriety after publishing (the sadly not readily available on Amazon) Feed, a YA cyberpunk novel and a National Book Award Finalist, but I'm sure there weren't too many people who saw this one coming!

The premise of Octavian Nothing couldn't be any more different (though in hindsight, there are definitely similarities of the dystopian kind - I guess Octavian Nothing is the 18th century version of cyberpunk). Set in revolutionary Boston between 1760 and 1775, Octavian recounts his life story. With his West-African mother, Princess Cassiopeia, he is raised by the (pseudo-)scientists of the Novanglian College of Lucidity, in deceivingly ideal circumstances. Despite the fact that both get everything they desire, Octavian is raised merely for scientific reasons: the research into the (un)equality between the races. Octavian receives the type of education a wealthy old-world nobleman would receive. He is not only taught Greek and Latin, but even becomes a prodigy violinist who can entertain guests, accompanied by his mother on the harpsichord, and is well on his way to become a truly enlightened rational observer . One of the more `extravagant' eccentricities of his upbringing is the fact that his excrements are weighed daily... Octavian and his mother's luck changes when the circumstances in volatile 1770s Boston change, and the main financer of the College dies. With this change the reader also senses that - despite Octavian's true desire to prove his worth - the outcome of the experiment is highly dependent on the prejudices and the political persuasion of the scientists as well as the financers.

Though the story in itself is already one both of horror and amazement, and would make for compelling reading no matter what, what makes this book truly special is the style and language used by M.T. Anderson. From cover to cover, Anderson captures every inkling of 18th century writing: from the cover and the title page, to the indisputable (and truly challenging) 18th century language, to the epistolary interlude between Private Evidence Goring and his sister Fruition... this novel breathes authenticity despite the fact it was written a mere 5 years ago. The amount of (historical) research not just to get the facts right (though the College of Lucidity is fictional, such organizations and philosophies did in fact exist during the American Revolution) but also to get the language both as authentic as possible as well as entertaining enough to appeal to 21st century readers must have been enormous and is indeed no mean feat. The fact that this book is (was) marketed at a YA audience is an even more challenging choice and definitely a daring decision by author and publisher. To be sure, and age put aside, you have to be one truly gifted individual to get things in this book from the get-go. But, once you're into the book - and it doesn't really take long before Octavian's narrative just sucks you right in - what you get is truly rewarding and leaves you wanting to read more - luckily the cat does not have to wait for Volume2!

The cat does not want to spoil any of the story, but she does have to mention the Pox Party (yes, yes, this is a party with smallpox at the center of things...) of the title, if not for the fact that this is where the story takes a turn towards the dramatic, both for Octavian and the reader. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, is despite (or thanks to) its challenging - and probably for some off-putting - and lusciously archaic language, one of the most humane of novels you'll ever read about one of the most inhumane practices in history. Slavery and/in the American Revolution were already the topic of another duet of books by Laurie Halse Anderson (which the cat thoroughly enjoyed, btw), but the term `enjoyment' lacks some of the awesomeness the cat wants to bestow on M.T. Anderson: definitely a writer whose talent matches his literary ambition, YA or otherwise.

Even the title gives the reader a glimpse of the ostentatious nature of this incredible book. THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is presented as a young adult title, which should in no way limit it only to the teen audience. Indeed, this book will be a challenge for many high school students -- a challenge well worth the effort.

M.T. Anderson immediately immerses his reader in the flowery, pretentious language spoken in the Revolutionary War period, a language that requires thought and concentration for today's reader. Once the reader is acclimated to the writing style, they are already hooked by Octavian's story. Octavian, an African prince, was sold while yet unborn, to one Mr. Gitney, referred to as 03-01, of the Novanglian College of Lucidity. He was dressed in fine silks and fed the finest of fares. His mother was treated as the African princess she was, entertaining gentlemen, playing her harpsichord.

It was not until Octavian turned eight that he realized his life was not normal, that he was indeed one of the College's experiments. No other human being had their intake, as well as their body's waste, measured and recorded. Every word spoken, every situation, was a challenge to excel, an experiment to determine if the African race was capable of advanced thought and skill. Not all children, especially black children, were given the opportunity for a classical education. Octavian was already an accomplished violinist. He read all of the great literature, in several languages, including Greek and Latin. He understood figures, physics, and sciences of the earth. No discipline was left untouched in the quest to determine the potential of a slave to learn.

THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is written from Octavian's point of view. Some passages are as though written by his own hand, then scribbled through, as if Octavian, with his vast education, still could not find the proper words to convey the horrors he had lived. His life of seeming luxury changes when the college's benefactor dies. Mr. Gitney entertains Lord Cheldethorpe in hopes that he will see fit to continue to finance the college as his uncle before him. For a time it seems that he is the solution to the College's financial distress. Especially since he has taken an acute interest in Octavian's mother. It is when she violently opposes his offer of her purchase, rather than a royal marriage, that Octavian and his mother experience the outrage and beatings more typical in the life of a slave. To Octavian's great relief, Lord Cheldethorpe returns to England and a new financial supporter, Mr. Sharpe, is found.

But Mr. Sharpe changes the experiment. Now the lessons seem more designed to prove failure rather than success. When not engaged in his "lessons," Octavian is treated as a simple slave, along with his mother. Add to this the mounting unrest of the American nation, and fear is paramount. The entire household flees Boston to Canaan, Massachusetts. It is there that the most horrific experiment takes place. Mr. Gitney throws a pox party, whereby all, white and black alike, are "inoculated" against the small pox virus in hopes that they will be immune. Instead, Octavian witnesses pain and loss at the most personal level.

At this point the reader will identify with Octavian on a primal level, and feel enormous relief when, finally, Octavian makes his escape. We read about his life as a soldier in the Patriot's army through the letters of one of his co-patriots, one Private Evidence Goring. But it's not until his capture, and subsequent total isolation, that the reader truly understands the complete desolation and hopelessness in the life of a slave. When M.T. Anderson places the iron mask, which he so artfully described to the reader in an earlier chapter, on Octavian, the reader feels complete revulsion and aches for Octavian to be released from this abject misery.

The story is masterfully written and researched. It is one of the most difficult books I've ever read, both in vocabulary and realism. That I made it through to the end makes me feel smart, educated, humble, and indeed amazed, nay fortunate, to have been given a glimpse into the mind of a genius, M.T. Anderson. I'm quite confident that the readers' desire to find out the fate of Octavian Nothing will still pulse within by the time Mr. Anderson shares Volume II with the world.

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger