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Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Year published: 2022
Book # for author: 1
Genre: urban fiction
Setting: 2006 in NYC
Cleopatra and Frankenstein book synopsis
Cleopatra and Frankenstein took a chapter or two for me to get into (and I’ll tell you why) but then there I was, very much in it. We start out meeting both Cleo and Frank at the moment they meet each other: on an elevator. She’s 25, artsy, a little fragile, maybe even angelic, and on a student visa from England. He’s 45, runs his own advertising agency, and is just as spontaneous as she is. They click. Already in chapter 2 they decide to get married (!) so she can stay in the US. But they’re in love too. Though it left us wondering how long it would have taken for them to get married if it wasn’t for that, or even if they’d have gotten married at all.
Written in third person, for the most part, each chapter focused on another character. We got an almost omnipresent view. The cast we heard from included Frank’s little sister Zoe: pretty and privileged (along with everyone else in this book) and a bit standoffish, Quentin, Cleo’s possessive gay BFF, Anders, Frank’s former art director turned friend who Cleo happened to have hooked up with a while back. Later in the game we got to know Eleanor, Frank’s blunt new copywriter.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein book review
At first, we didn’t get a good grasp on who Cleopatra and Frankenstein were. I mean, we met their relationship before we met them. I found it frustrating and even wondered why the book was called Cleopatra and Frankenstein when it could have easily been a tale of friends living in NYC, along the lines of The Interestings or even Nine Perfect Strangers (book and show review here), where we heard from the multiple characters at a healing retreat. It was about all nine, not just the two who happened to be in a relationship.
Slowly but surely, the characters differentiated and the title became clearer. We got a layered, multi-angled view of them. Cleopatra and Frankenstein was captivating without a ton really going on at a given moment – a talent and a pleasure to read. But of course things did happen. Maybe I should seen where they were going, but I just went along for the ride.
Side points
At the end of the day, the characters were just ordinary people who were given this platform of importance, brought out by the third person narrative and multiple viewpoints, that they didn’t really do anything to deserve. Also, the omnipresent view gave us deeper insight into each character’s feelings and motivations during their chapters. Sometimes we got clarity on another’s, which left me wondering if there was a reason we were given more at that moment.
The fact that most of the characters were so pretty and had so many friends wherever they went detracted from the story. We have movies for that!
Then, Eleanor was awkward and a little too quirky. I mean, she kept seeing imaginary dead animals everywhere. As a character, she was my favorite, a breath of fresh air among all the parties and drugs. But I don’t think her getting along with everyone so easily was realistic.
Lastly *slight spoilers*
For those of you who have already read the book, what did you think of the ending? I thought it wrapped up a little too well, which didn’t allow me to be upset at anyone. Though I guess that’s realistic enough. Was Cleopatra and Frankenstein worth the hype? I think so.
My rating: 7/10.
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