The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party By: M.T. Anderson

Overview:  Octavian has lived his entire life being a lab rat.  As a slave he has no rights and is a curiosity to be studied at the Novanglian College of Lucidity.  However as the college becomes strapped for funds and a new benefactor takes over, things are about to get worse for Octavian.  As war looms over the colonies, will Octavian be able to escape his prison?  This intriguing novel shows some of the gruesome experiments done on slaves around the beginning of the Revolutionary War. 


Review:  The premise of this book was very interesting and unique.  The first half was quite fast paced and easy to follow, I wish the same could be said for the second half.  It dragged terribly, was confusing, and didn't advance the plot.  Part of the problem is the writers style, he uses complex sentences and lots of difficult vocabulary words to try and recreate an old world feel to the language.  I thought this worked in the beginning but became a liability later in the book and distracted rather then added to the plot.
  
At one point Octavian goes crazy for a few chapters and the story continues through letters of a new unexplored character.  While Octavian is still mentioned the story shifts mainly to the new characters personal life.  This was really distracting and hard to follow and lasted for pages and pages.  It becomes clear that months have passed yet we know very little of Octavian.


I really enjoyed the first half but found it hard to wade through the second.  I enjoyed the premise but thought it was over complicated.  I read this book mostly because it won so many awards and found myself disappointed.  I've found the other National Book Award winners much more satisfying.  There is a sequel but I think I'm going to need a  break before I reach for Octavian again.