In The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing we see great societal efforts both intellectual and coarse through the eyes of a child who is a functional tool in those efforts. Octavian is pure object, existing solely for the advancement of a greater good he has no voice in defining. Using Octavian’s perspective brings this nightmare world into the reader’s present moment.

An earlier example of a society served by the suffering of a child is Ursula Le Guin’s 1973 short story, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, sourced here online from the San Diego State University. The brevity of Le Guin’s piece adds to its impact as the awareness and complicity of the citizens is revealed and justified. This is not life writing as we have defined it so far, but rather place writing. With no intention of trashing anyone’s holiday spirits, I highly recommend The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. You will not be able to read it without reflecting on the hidden suffering that makes our standard of life possible.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is also available in the collection The Wind’s Twelve Quarters.