I truly loved this book but I will caveat that by saying I also have friends that didn’t particularly enjoy it so I think this book will surely divide readers. One reason I loved the book is as a New Yorker (I think after living here for 16 years I can call myself a New Yorker, right?) I felt as if the book truly captured the essence of New York. I think part of the magic of New York is you never know what awaits you around the corner. One seemingly casual night could easily turn into an orgy or a warehouse party in Brooklyn (not that I have ever found myself at an orgy but it’s a highly plausible possibility). I also found the complexities of the characters to represent New York. The author delved into the lives of the main characters, Cleo and Frank, plus the ensemble cast and wrote about their flaws so beautifully. This book touches on alcoholism and mental health issues but also captures the beauty and vulnerability in every human. You end of loving the characters despite their imperfections. To me ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ really incapsulated New York and if you’ve never lived here I’m not sure you’d appreciate the book as much as I did.
The book is highly readable and very captivating.The characters are absorbing and painfully relatable. I also loved Coco Mellors’ sense of humor and wit. One of my favorite passages is below from the point-of-view of one of the characters:
I need to make money. I need to write today. I need to clean the bath-room. I need to eat something. I need to quit sugar. I need to cut my hair. I need to call Verizon. I need to savor the moment. I need to find the library card. I need to learn to meditate. I need to try harder. I need to get that stain out. I need to find better health insurance. I need to discover my signature scent. I need to strengthen and tone. I need to be present in the moment. I need to learn French. I need to be easier on myself. I need to buy organizational storage units. I need to call back. I need to develop a relationship with a God of my understanding. I need to buy eye cream. I need to live up to my potential. I need to lie back down.
Do you see what I mean? Coco Mellors prose is hilarious and so relatable.
I came across this review from the Literary Edit before I read the book and I could not have said it better:
A charming debut from Mellors, Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a beautifully written tale that is atmospheric, rich with nuance and offers readers a wonderful dose of escapism. It’s a story that starts with a classic meet cute: two strangers meet in an elevator as they’re both trying to escape a party on the cusp of the new year. Cleo – an ethereal yet difficult artists who hails from England is in her early twenties, while Frank, a successful media mogul is in his forties.
Promise lingers in the air as they ring in the new year, and a whirlwind romance, soon evolves into a marriage, meaning that Cleo’s expiring student visa and the borrowed time on which she’s living in NYC is quickly resolved.
What follows is an exploration of love and life set against a gritty and glamorous New York backdrop as we meet a growing cast of characters, each of whom have a part to play in the complexity of Cleo and Frank’s relationship.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein offers a shrewd take on the muddle and messiness of modern relationships; and Mellor does a great job of painting a fragmented world full of choice and chaos, and the search for true happiness. A love letter to New York, to the chaos of finding one’s feet, to the intricacies of waning relationships and to what it is to be human, Cleopatra and Frankenstein will no doubt cultivate a legion of loyal fans waiting for Mellors’ next move.
I actually find it hard to believe that this is Coco Mellors debut novel but was not at all surprised to find that it had been nominated for Best Fiction and Best Debut Novel in 2022. As divisive as this books seems to be, I loved everything about this book. The characters, the dialogue, the wild nights, the drugs, the fights. I loved how truly New York the book felt.
