The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is a historical fiction novel set before and during the American Revolutionary War. However, the book doesn't focus on the Revolutionary War. The main character is a young slave boy raised as an experiment by a college. I thought that this book was extraordinarily well-written and provided a new perspective into the Revolutionary War. All that we learn in history class is about the Founding Fathers, rather than what the ordinary citizens are facing. This book didn't pull any punches and told the harsh truth of the lives of the less fortunate of that time. The plot and concept of the book was extremely disturbing, but in a necessary way. Reading this book was certainly unsettling, but I would still recommend reading it to see a different perspective into historical events that are less romanticized by history books. While the content of the book was relatively heavy, the writing style wasn't overly complicated or full of pretentious words. Also, it struck a good balance between describing detail and not being boring. Because the book is historical fiction, the plot doesn't follow a super predictable narrative, which is a good change from the fantasy books that I most often read. All in all, I would recommend this book to people who like reading about the lives of less fortunate people while history is happening around them.

January 14th, 2023 Review by Penny