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A review by nehaanna
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really was stunned when I read the author’s note and saw this took over seven years to write. When you see that in comparison to the quality of the work, you really start to wonder why and how some authors get book deals. Maybe it’s because this author is self-conflated to be another Sally Rooney type of author, which for me doesn’t gain her any brownie points because frankly I don’t care much for Rooney. Maybe it’s because this work is an outlandish self insert (the main female character has long silky blonde hair, is British, and is a manic artist dream girl? Please spare me). Maybe it’s because it’s trendy to have contemporary literature that parrots pseudo feminism and “complex” relationships as a way of justifying being selfish, cruel, immature, emotional toxic, and draining people to others in your life.
I really struggled with a lot of things in this book, first being the writing quality. I read “Blue Sisters” first before this and I’m glad because had I read this first, I would have never picked up Mellors’ second novel. There are so many hideous little metaphors in this book like “you sound like how biting into an apple sounds,” or “[it] felt like a punch to the vagina.” Dear god, spare me. Also there are syntax and grammatical typos in the copy I read that I am surprised were not picked up sooner by the copy editors for this work.
Secondly, I struggled with the content of the work when it came to characterization. The last conversation between the two protagonists is the only shred of self reflection we get as to why these two incredibly emotionally immature individuals behave the way they do. The reason why? It’s because (surprise, surprise!) they didn’t have a loving father and mother or a stable home environment so they’re always looking to perform for love. This is such a problematic and shallow explanation for people’s behavior that it just really showcases to me the depth of the maturity of the author herself.
Thirdly, and perhaps the most grave issue with this book is the way it treats race, sexuality, and gender. The plot synopsis is extremely misleading, claiming we are going to get a discussion of topics such as gender dysphoria. Instead, that topic is mentioned once and relegated to the back, to be left behind while the trope of drug addiction and internalized misogyny are brought forward. It’s weak and uneducated writing, not to mention an absolutely weak marketing strategy to try and get people to be interested in this book. Additionally, there are extremely tiring racist tropes in this book and microaggressions that just painfully demonstrate to everyone but the author how blindingly white and privileged and sheltered and willfully uneducated she is on these topics. For a book that took over seven years to craft, she somehow forgot to include any social nuance or vantage point beyond her comfortable rich white lifestyle in New York or London.
It’s truly surprising to me sometimes the type of literature that people will call “good,” especially when we’re talking about works like this. Maybe it’s a sign of my age and different interests, but I don’t want to read about two pretentious, selfish, and emotionally immature individuals who desperately need therapy. The writing tropes are overworked and quite frankly lame, the characterization is a joke, and the excessive focus on drug use is just wearisome (and the fact that it’s featured so heavily in “blue sisters” means it’s more of this author’s penchant in her writing). This was very much a massive miss for me and another well deserved lesson on how I am very much not the target audience for this melodramatic and slipshod literature that glorifies emotionally immaturity and self destructive behaviors.
I really struggled with a lot of things in this book, first being the writing quality. I read “Blue Sisters” first before this and I’m glad because had I read this first, I would have never picked up Mellors’ second novel. There are so many hideous little metaphors in this book like “you sound like how biting into an apple sounds,” or “[it] felt like a punch to the vagina.” Dear god, spare me. Also there are syntax and grammatical typos in the copy I read that I am surprised were not picked up sooner by the copy editors for this work.
Secondly, I struggled with the content of the work when it came to characterization. The last conversation between the two protagonists is the only shred of self reflection we get as to why these two incredibly emotionally immature individuals behave the way they do. The reason why? It’s because (surprise, surprise!) they didn’t have a loving father and mother or a stable home environment so they’re always looking to perform for love. This is such a problematic and shallow explanation for people’s behavior that it just really showcases to me the depth of the maturity of the author herself.
Thirdly, and perhaps the most grave issue with this book is the way it treats race, sexuality, and gender. The plot synopsis is extremely misleading, claiming we are going to get a discussion of topics such as gender dysphoria. Instead, that topic is mentioned once and relegated to the back, to be left behind while the trope of drug addiction and internalized misogyny are brought forward. It’s weak and uneducated writing, not to mention an absolutely weak marketing strategy to try and get people to be interested in this book. Additionally, there are extremely tiring racist tropes in this book and microaggressions that just painfully demonstrate to everyone but the author how blindingly white and privileged and sheltered and willfully uneducated she is on these topics. For a book that took over seven years to craft, she somehow forgot to include any social nuance or vantage point beyond her comfortable rich white lifestyle in New York or London.
It’s truly surprising to me sometimes the type of literature that people will call “good,” especially when we’re talking about works like this. Maybe it’s a sign of my age and different interests, but I don’t want to read about two pretentious, selfish, and emotionally immature individuals who desperately need therapy. The writing tropes are overworked and quite frankly lame, the characterization is a joke, and the excessive focus on drug use is just wearisome (and the fact that it’s featured so heavily in “blue sisters” means it’s more of this author’s penchant in her writing). This was very much a massive miss for me and another well deserved lesson on how I am very much not the target audience for this melodramatic and slipshod literature that glorifies emotionally immaturity and self destructive behaviors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Abandonment, Classism