Octavian Nothing, Vol. II - M.T. Anderson

This book, the full title of which is The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves, was both epic and personal. Like True History of the Kelly Gang, it's a book that is so well done I prefer to think that it is really a first-person account of the events depicted therein rather than a work of fiction. There is so much in this book that is hard to read about, but whether I like it or not these things happened and it is important to allow these things to inform our present and to inspire all of us to be better people. I am so happy I discovered M.T. Anderson this year, what an amazing author.