A review by lister
The New Annotated Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro, Anne K. Mellor, Leslie S. Klinger, Mary Shelley

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Everybody knows this story; spoiler alert: Frankenstein builds a man, but it doesn't go so well. I had never read this book, though, and I decided to do that before watching the Whale films. I was surprised how different the monster is from the ideas I'd picked up: he's intelligent, articulate, and emotional - not clumsy or uncomprehending. The writing is flowery, with a lot of vocabulary words; it took me a while to get through. The annotations help, and Klinger's notes are quite interesting, in general; they don't just stick to the text but go into history, cultural practices, literature, and interpretations of the story over time. It was a slow read for me, but it was worth it: I know a lot of queer people identify with the monster, and now I can appreciate why.
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