Cleopatra and Frankenstein- Coco Mellers

 

A reading slump often plagues one's life numerous times and a catchy title with a beautiful cover as this book is probably one that gets you out of it. A book reader unknowingly (knowingly for that matter) always has certain standards to judge a book and obviously, Sally Rooney set those for me. And to my sheer surprise (and extreme joy) Coco Mellors has done a brilliant job with her writing and characters.

Cleo and Frank are funnily, two people who had similar experiences as children mostly characterized by absent parents and a traumatizing childhood but they are different in age and behavior. One would say age is just a number, but when Cleo, a British artist, marries Frank who is twenty years older than her and a man of success, things take a turn for the bad. I have to be honest, you really have to put some stereotypical notions on your side table as you turn the pages of the book. The story brings out the characters in Cleo and Frank's life and the tumultuous consequences this marriage has for their closest friends. 

Mellors is an astoundingly funny writer with a spark of wit and sadness in her writing. My favorite chapters are all about one character, Eleanor, and her witty yet cynical jokes on life and its tribulations. On being asked why I love reading contemporary fiction, I have often found myself giving one similar answer- to escape my problems through the character's problems. Mellors gives you a group of people with flaws and aspirations who often outgrow each other yet, remain an indistinct part of each other's lives. 

Mellors tells her story through two generations and bridges the gap between them through their interpersonal relationships and struggles. Her plot is simple and jumps through changing seasons and people of different ethnicities living a gratuitous life within a sanctuary of inheritance and trust funds. Mellors has set foot in the literary world with an impressive debut consisting of strong yet damaged characters who see life as is- a flash of substances with the urge to die for beauty.

Financial instability, sexual gratification, personal loss, and identity, Mellors transgresses from one theme to another to give you a world of captivating New Yorkers who are probably on the verge of drug addiction but in every real sense, human.