A review by booksofpanda
Cleopatra und Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

challenging dark emotional funny sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A great debut novel that I almost couldn’t put aside. Coco Mellors describes in Cleopatra and Frankenstein a love story that doesn’t feel like one at all. Instead her novel is full of tragedy, everyday reality, absurdities and heartbreaking honesty. The story revolves around the name giving couple Cleo and Frank, but also around their friends and family and their lives in New York. It is told from all their different perspectives. The author describes with refreshing bluntness the different sides of a toxic relationship as well as other hard topics like loss, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide and depression. This novel has moved me in many ways and made me feel all sorts of feelings from rage to pity up to sadness. It also made me laugh a lot about many absurdities that you get to experience when you live in New York. At times I thought the chapters were a bit too long. All in all an absolute pageturner that doesn’t feel like reading a debut novel. I can’t wait to read what’s next to come from Coco Mellors.
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