The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, vol 1: The Pox Party, by M. T. Anderson; young adult, historical fiction; 384 pages (about 9 hours, listening)
I loved Feed enough that I sought out some more of Anderson's work. I don't normally read a lot of historical fiction, but I find it refreshing every once in a while. This book had enough gothic horror thrown in to make it a quick, and engaging, read. It's the story of Octavian, a slave in colonial Boston, in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. It's an interesting point of view, since I don't know much about that time period beyond my high school history classes--and those really glossed over the role of slavery in the northern colonies. Octavian lives at a "college" where he has been very well educated as part of an ongoing social experiment. This volume, the first of two, had him growing to young adulthood, realizing that he's a slave, and eventually rebelling. The language here is a good imitation of eighteenth century writing, which was a nice touch. The only part I found strange was that the last quarter of the book, which up until then had been narrated by Octavian, is told through the letters of a militiaman in the Patriot army. It still continues Octavian's story, but the change in narrator was abrupt and jarring. Really good, and I can see why this won the National Book Award. Starting volume two on the drive home.
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