I had avoided reading this book for a long while. The grotesque, painful-looking mask on the cover put me off. However, while on a kick of reading M.T. Anderson's other YA books, I gave this a try. Octavian Nothing is the story of a young man who seems to be living a utopian life, until he finds out he's actually living in a nightmarish experiment...one based on several real experiments and practices of the l mid-to-late 1700s.
All I can say is, if pre-Revoluntionary War Gothics becomes the next big thing, I'll know what book started the trend.
This is a book with depth, meaning, power...and a refreshing lack of preachiness. I also think adults willing to ignore the YA tag will find it just as rewarding as the intended audience.