A review by starrysteph
Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Brook Tsai

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A compelling new take on Frankenstein - very fresh but also a bit awkwardly executed.

The framework is similar, but the content is very modern: a queer Indonesian scientist (Dr. Frank) attempts to create a child without sperm or egg. Plum - the doctor’s intern - has run away from home to live openly. She idolizes Dr. Frank and becomes wrapped up in the tale of her creation … and Dr. Frank’s offer to participate in her next project.

And then there’s the nonbinary child that Dr. Frank birthed, cruelly abandoned at infancy and returning to face dia creator.

I found Z/Dr. Frank’s narration a bit hard to take on. She has such narrow vision and hurts & exploits & violates so many others in her life. It’s a story of her doomed ambition, but the other narrators (Plum and Ash) questioned ethical issues in a more balanced way. 

I enjoyed the exploration of agency over your own body - how that can be taken away from you based on a queer/trans identity - and also how children in general can be treated as objects instead of humans with full human experiences.

Other themes included biracial identities & intersectional identities (with thoughtful highlights of Asian and Asian American culture), ethics alongside scientific advancement, cycles of trauma, and parenthood. 

It can be a very direct and heavy-handed retelling (direct quotes peppered throughout the book alongside other winks and nods), but it’s also clearly a labor of love in recognition of the original story.

CW: pregnancy, child abuse, child death, domestic abuse, abandonment, death, medical trauma, murder, sexual assault, ableism, homophobia, incest, suicide, grief, dysphoria, transphobia, racism, stalking

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