The Emperor’s Babe, Bernardine Evaristo.

« The town walked with a straight and proud back,
for not since Hadrian built the wall up north
had an emperor deigned to come west
. »

Set in roman Londinium before Christ this long epic and lyric poem in free verse tell the tale of Zuleika who became the Emperor’s mistress. I really enjoyed the singularity of this book and its specific way of playing with words but was somehow disappointed by its unadventurous story.
Thanks @theclubofbooks for the idea!