Review: Firstly, not only is the debut novel an absolute powerhouse, its author Coco Mellors is the most delightful, charming, enchanting human. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Mellors at a book event in Berlin and she was simply marvellous! Much like this book.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein is ostensibly a love story. Not a romance, but a love story. Those who understand the rules of genre fiction understand the subtle, yet crucial difference. We meet the named protagonists on the same night they meet one another Then go on to follow them and their friends and family through 2000s New York City.
I loved everything about this novel; the realistically drawn characters, the vivid depiction of New York (one of my favourite cities), the literary style which was beautiful and at times slightly experimental (Chapter 16 was reminiscent of the Keisha/Natalie section on Zadie Smith's NW, which is possibly my favourite piece of writing of all time).
Without a doubt this is one of the strongest debut novels I have read in a while and I can only hope that her future output matches its readability.
Title: Cleopatra & Frankenstein
Author: Coco Mellors
Genre: Literary Fiction
ISBN: 978-0008421762
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Publication Date: 17 February 2022
Publisher Description: New York is slipping from Cleo’s grasp. Sure, she’s at a different party every other night, but she barely knows anyone. Her student visa is running out, and she doesn’t even have money for cigarettes. But then she meets Frank. Twenty years older, Frank's life is full of all the success and excess that Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a green card. She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art―and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. He is everything she needs right now.
Cleo and Frank run head-first into a romance that neither of them can quite keep up with. It reshapes their lives and the lives of those around them, whether that’s Cleo's best friend struggling to embrace his gender identity in the wake of her marriage, or Frank's financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates after being cut off. Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year’s Eve party changes everything, for better or worse.