Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
Published by Jonathon Cape, 2019
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Past, present, and future collide to glorious effect in Jeanette Winterson’s Frankissstein. Thematically rich, linguistically stimulating, and narratively enthralling, it’s a book that begs deeper thought and discussion; somehow both of its time and yet utterly timeless.
Lake Geneva, 1816. Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and Claire Clairemont hunker down to await the passing of a storm. Conversations on the nature of life and death lead a teenage Mary to begin working on her magnum opus, Frankenstein. Meanwhile, in modern-day Brexit Britain, transgender doctor Ry Shelley, sexbot businessman Ron Lord, journalist Polly D, and the evangelical Claire become entangled in scientist Victor Stein’s research concerning AI and human nature.
Riffing on the life and work of Mary Shelley, whilst weaving Shelley’s own story into the narrative, allows Winterson to explore many thought-provoking themes. Chief amongst these is the intersection between mind and body, and the very definition of being human. With advancements in AI and technology making the concepts of transhumanism and digital eternity all the more plausible, our present-day characters find themselves debating the ethical and moral implications of separating consciousness from biological matter. Is life defined by our inner voices (the thoughts, feelings, and memories that make us who we are), or is it the physicality of change, interaction, and sensation within our bodies that make a life worth living? Does life require death to lend it meaning?
These may feel like particularly modern questions and concerns, but Winterson shows us the timeless nature of the debate surrounding the self. Just as the present-day characters fear that AI threatens to make them obsolete, the characters in Shelley’s day are unsettled by the coming of the industrial revolution, which threatens to unbalance society and rob them of their jobs. The juxtaposition between an insatiable thirst for progress and a fear of the resulting implications is a fascinating one. The Parallels between the two narratives show us both how far we’ve come (with Shelley’s fear that science could make autonomous artificial life possible having been realised) and yet how much our primary concerns remain the same. We are always destined to play at being gods, seeking to transcend the limits of our bodies and overcome death.
Comparing past and present also allows Winterson to comment on the changing role of women, and our ever-evolving attitude towards gender and identity. She also deliberately blurs the line between fact and fiction, perhaps toying with the idea that art is itself a form of creation. It is not coincidental that, whilst most of the present-day characters are representative of real people, Victor Stein has stepped quite literally from the pages of a book. If fiction is a construct, what is reality, and where do the two meet?
It’s not that Winterson deigns to hand us all the answers to these huge, existential questions. But I would implore you to come away from this without your mind in a spin. Through the actions of her title character, Mary Shelley warned us that just because something is scientifically possible, it doesn’t mean we should pursue it. Winterson shows us how close Shelley’s nightmarish vision of the future really is, and asks us to consider our collective next steps very carefully. At once a beautiful slice of historical fiction, an unexpectedly funny satire of our current political climate, an arresting speculative tale about the near future, and a love letter to the genius and foresight of Mary Shelley; Frankissstein offers a truly singular reading experience that is not to be missed.
***
If you’d like to give Frankissstein a go, you can pick up a copy with free shipping from Book Depository by clicking here. If you’ve already read it, I’d live to hear your thoughts!
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Interesting! I’d been steering clear of this one due to mixed experiences with Winterson. But I am fascinated by transhumanism (reading Altered Carbon at the moment!) so that aspect of it really appeals to me. Do you think it should have made the Booker shortlist?
Other than this, I’ve only read a short story collection by Winterson thus far. I’m excited to explore more of her work, but her back catalogue does sound pretty eclectic, so I imagine I’ll click with some more than others. And whilst prior knowledge of Frankenstein isn’t essential, my love for Shelley’s work will probably have added another layer of enjoyment to my reading of this.
I would have been very happy to see it on the shortlist, but having not read any of the ones that did make the cut, I can’t technically say it’s ‘better’ than what we got. What are your thoughts on the shortlist?
Not a fan, I haven’t read any of the books but think Atwood and Rushdie are really boring choices and haven’t heard good things about Shafak and Obioma. The only one I want to read is Evaristo.
Yeah, if the purpose of a literary prize is to highlight and champion exciting new works, they played it very safe and predictable.
How am I only just learning this book exists!!
Happy to have brought it to your attention! 😋 I can highly recommend it.
I love Winterson’s straightforward writing style, which I see in both Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and her memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? I’m surprised to read that her newest novel (sounds like it) has a different style, perhaps one that better captures her content?
I haven’t read either of those (yet) but her back catalogue seems to be fairly diverse, so I imagine she adapts her style to suit the given genre and subject matter 😊
Excellent review! I’m glad you also loved this one! It’s such a powerhouse of a novel that covers so very much ground, and yet ties everything together so well. I thought the metafiction aspect was just brilliant, and you cover the implications of that so well. September is off to a great start!
Thank you! It really is such a gem. I won’t be at all surprised if this makes it onto my favourites of the year list.
Same! 🙂
Wonderful review, you’ve made me even more excited to carry on with this book this evening!
Thank you! I really hope you like it 🙊 As a Mary Shelley stan I suppose I was somewhat predisposed to love it, but Emily adored it too, and we can’t both be wrong 💁🏻♂️
Oh god, this sounds so good. Now yet another Frankenstein book I need to read, along with actually finishing Frankenstein, and Frankenstein in Baghdad.
It’s well worth checking out if you’re at all tempted! It pays homage to Shelley’s life and work beautifully, whilst bringing Frankenstein’s themes into the present day in such an intelligent way.
I can hear my TBR watching me incredulously every time I click your reviews because I keep adding books. I see you guys talking lots about this one and it just sounds really good!! Have you read Written on the body?
Sorry not sorry 😂 I haven’t, but I definitely want to check out more of Winterson’s work after loving this! Would you recommend it?
I read it around 7 years ago, but really enjoyed it back then. It was quite mind-blowing back then, but I was very new to feminist works, so maybe it’s not as impactful as I remember.
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