annotatedbibliophile 's review for:

Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout

2.0

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What drew me to this book was the sapphic retelling and Mary Shelly. I am obsessed with Frankenstein and Mary Shelly’s works so being able to read a modern retelling of her life seemed like paradise in physical manifestation. However, I am not sure if it was the translation or the work itself, it fell flat for me. The writing was cohesive in some places and juvenile in others. I loved Mary and Isabelle’s relationship idea but it was not executed in a way that would draw readers in. The tension of the mystery in some scenes was built up to a breaking point and in others, just left outside the door like it didn’t matter. Juicy metaphors and beautiful prose were only in the first third of the book and last two chapters, the rest of the book felt forced out of the author to fill space, Overall, the book was not consistent and the translation itself read as very incoherent and uncomfortable.