Wow, well this was a struggle! A children’s book that I would very much hesitate to give to most young adults. Of all the texts I read for this course, this is the book that I struggled with the most. It wasn’t simply the language (although that was dense enough); the narrative structure and ideas and themes made this a hard book to access. In many ways it is a Gothic novel, where the monsters are the civilised humans, the castle an elegant house and the ‘Gothic heroine’ a young boy. Author M T Anderson does indeed create a dark Gothic atmosphere in this book, although I’m not sure how many school kids would pick up on this! Reviewers (and teachers, one would assume) however, love it. For example:
One of the most impressive [examples] in recent memory is M. T. Anderson’s award-winning historical novel, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation (Candlewick, 2006), an examination of the dark underbelly of 18th-century philosophical and scientific thought. The complex narrative structure uses diaries, letters, and other manuscripts to chronicle the experiences of Octavian, a young African American who is brought up by a group of rationalist philosophers seeking to determine his capacity for reason during the Revolutionary War era. In Anderson’s hands, the Gothic castle becomes the Novanglian College of Lucidity, a closed, scientifically controlled environment where his innocent, captive hero, Octavian, discovers the horrors that lie within. The monsters are the Rationalist professors who enact their experiments on human subjects, while the societal taboos are slavery and racism. Anderson uses a Gothic atmosphere to create genuine moments of horror and repulsion in this critique of America during the Age of Reason. (Philip Charles Crawford ‘A New Era of Gothic Horror‘ School Library Journal 54 (No. 10): 33)
But is this one of those books that critics love, and nobody actually reads?
Octavian Nothing is a book steeped in history and research. I read this book as somewhat of a challenge – having been told that it was a hard read, but worth it, I wanted to see if this was true. Well, it was certainly a hard read. But was it worth it? In a way, it was. In others, not so much.
Anderson’s book is far too complex to try and condense into a couple of teeny paragraphs. It deals with nothing less than the weighty themes of philosophy, science and the history and philosophy of science, the Enlightenment, race and racism in America, slavery, the American War of Independence and its causes as well as the small matter of the nature of the human soul. This is a lot to cram into one book, let alone a book aimed at teenagers. To some extent, Anderson is successful. The themes are expertly presented and explored and, particularly in his exploration of slavery and racism in America, presented in an emotive and graphic manner. The scene where Octavian attacks a white man for raping his mother, and the subsequent punishment of both, is harrowing reading.
However, for much of the narrative, I found this a very hard book to become engaged in. Anderson, like the scholars of the Novanglian College of Lucidity he writes about, seems too concerned with the bigger picture, with the ideas and philosophies he is trying to explore. As such, I felt the narrative and characterization suffered. The language used and themes explored distance the reader from the events and characters. Even Octavian, our narrator for most of the book, seems impenetrable at times.
This fact made the book somewhat of a slog to read; one of those experiences where I had to, at times, force myself to pick up the book and just finish the damn thing! As I said above, I would hesitate to recommend this book to most teenagers (not that there aren’t those who would enjoy it). This book assumes a very high reading level, and an appreciation of a style of writing that was popular a couple of centuries ago! Similarly, Anderson assumes his audience is well educated and well informed; there were several instances where I had to stop reading in order to Wikipedia certain events or historical figures in order to gain the context and knowledge necessary for understanding the narrative. However worthy this book is, the difficulty of engaging with it could put off many teenage readers.
Still, despite all this, I felt somewhat victorious upon finishing Octavian Nothing. I might even dare to say I feel a more worthy person for having read it!
BONUS FEATURES
For a contrasting (and quite possibly more authoritative/informed) opinion, you can read Book Splat’s review here.
And finally, if you’re feeling a bit bowed down by all the seriousness above, here’s some American Revolutionary themed comic relief:
M.T. Anderson The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation. Vol. 1: The Pox Party. Candlewick; Cambridge; Mass., 2006.
Meanderings of a Bookish Nature 