The countdown to Halloween has officially begun, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than by reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? Shelley’s tale of the modern Prometheus was first published in 1818. It had everything that horror fans love, including a mad scientist, grizzly murders, and a shockingly relatable monster, while also providing a subversive commentary on contemporary politics surrounding the French Revolution, scientific development, and women’s place in society. Since then, Shelley’s monster has taken on a life of its own. Images and ideas from Shelley’s work have permeated every level of modern media, from family films like Hotel Transylvania (2012) to video games like The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature (2019). So, if you’ve read the original story a few too many times, you’re in luck! I’ve checked out all of the best literary reimaginings of our favourite monster story and compiled the following list of the best contemporary Frankenstein’s – all of which are guaranteed to provoke questions about today’s society and possibly force you to sleep with the lights on!
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
“Dear God I am tired. It is late. Writing like Shakespeare is hard work for a woman with a cracked head who cannot spell properly.”
Fans of Frankenstein, including myself, have been eagerly awaiting the upcoming film adaptation of Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Willem Defoe, and Mark Ruffalo. Due to delays caused by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the film will not be available to Irish audiences until January. On the plus side, this gives you plenty of time to read the original novel by Alastair Gray. Poor Things follows the creation of the beautiful and voracious Bella Baxter, who is brought back from the dead by Godwin Baxter using the brain of her unborn child. Rather than achieving his dream of creating the ideal companion, Godwin finds himself entangled in a story of scandal, hilarity, and philosophical quandary. Gray’s novel, like Shelley’s Frankenstein, is a monstrous ensemble of narrative forms and character perspectives that not only entertains its audience with its witty writing and copious melodrama, but also deals with moral, scientific, and gender issues, all while serving as a national allegory for Scotland.
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
“Anyone who puts on a crown, even if only as an experiment, will end up looking for a kingdom.”
Saadawi’s monster, Whatsitsname, is constructed from body parts found strewn across the streets of Baghdad following a series of suicide bombings. Hadi, the junk dealer, assembles a single complete corpse in order to provide a proper burial for the nameless victims who died as a result of geopolitical unrest and sectarian violence in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. What ensues is a tale brimming with righteous fury, absurd morality, and black humour, as Saadawi works to provide a compelling critique of contemporary imperialist politics, stitched together from a patchwork of perspectives.
Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson
“I am liminal, cusping, in between, emerging, undecided, transitional, experimental, a start-up (or is it up-start?) in my own life.”
Jeanette Winterson’s science fiction romance novel takes Shelley’s monster story and transplants it to the landscape of Brexit Britain, complete with artificial intelligence, cryogenics, and sex bots. It follows the strange romance of Dr. Ry Shelley, a transgender doctor who procures body parts for Victor Stein, an artificial intelligence professor who conducts unethical experiments on dead bodies. Winterson weaves together fragmented timelines to produce a compelling exploration of identity, transhumanism, and LGBTQ+ issues, punctuated with humour and an abundance of intertextual references.
Destroyer by Victor LaValle
“As I write this I wonder which seems more fantastical: that a woman could bring her dead son back to life, or that our country might ever hold itself accountable for injustices it has perpetrated. Technology is improving at an astonishing rate; honest conversation – and actual change – move at a much slower pace.”
Victor LaValle’s Destroyer is a graphic novel that explores Dr. Frankenstein’s legacy in the twenty-first century through the story of his biological descendant Dr. Josephine Baker, a grieving black mother who lost her son to police brutality, and his other unnatural descendant, the original Frankenstein monster, who still roams the earth today. LaVelle’s monster story provides a powerful critique of racial injustice in the U.S. whilst simultaneously exploring the nature of love, loss and justice. Destroyer has all the flair of a superhero comic as well as the artistic gore you’d expect from a graphic horror. It’s perfect for anyone looking for something a little less text-heavy.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
“I would lie silent and still, like a corpse, as he studied me. His careful, delicate hands explored all the bones and tendons, the muscles and tracings of veins that make up a person. “But where is Elizabeth?” he would ask, his ear against my heart. “Which part makes you?” I had no answer, and neither did he.”
Kierstein White has gifted us with a delicious character study of Elizabeth Frankenstein. Her book is a direct retelling of the Frankenstein story that we all know and love, but this time we get to hear it from the perspective of Victor’s fiancée. This is a story about falling out of love, then falling back in love with yourself. It’s not quite horror, but the characters in this book are no less monstrous, as White continually engages with one of Shelley’s central questions: Who is the real monster? If you like books about toxic love and self-discovery with a side of monster madness and an unexpected twist, this is the one for you!
WORDS: Amy Redmond
