Initial thought: What did I just read???

I think most people have at least heard of this novel at this point thanks to the film adaptation released in 2023 starring Emma Stone, Willem Defoe, and Mark Ruffalo. I haven’t yet seen it, but I will admit to having looked it up to see if it ended the same way. It absolutely does not end the same way. As a matter of fact, its drastic pivot at the finale causes it to have a very different tone and meaning. In case you are new to the party, this is a Frankenstein-inspired novel in which an eccentric doctor, Godwin Baxter, creates a young woman by transplanting the brain of her unborn child into the woman and reanimating her. The subsequent scenes of the novel follow her coming of age and her discovery of all that is pleasurable and horrifying about the world into which she was thrust. Like Frankenstein’s creature, she learns at an intensely rapid rate and possesses great intelligence. Unlike Frankenstein’s creature, she has a lot of sex.

I listened to this one, and I can safely say I don’t recommend that format. Firstly, there are illustrations. That should speak for itself. Secondly, there’s so much going on here with the format of the text, it makes things a bit confusing. We get the analyzation and historical notes by Gray, a fictionalized version of himself that the author uses to introduce the source materials. We also get a book written by Archibald McCandless which he presents as his autobiography before subsequently getting a response to this book from Bella who sheds serious doubts on the truths supposedly in the text. Then it becomes sort of a choose your own adventure book because you basically have to decide whose account you want to believe.

Whatever the truth to Bella’s origin, there are some intense truths in this. Bella’s coming of age, or her awakening, could be true whether she possesses the brain of an infant or the fully developed brain of a woman. In such a time, women were designed to be ignorant to the realities of the world to protect their “delicate sensibilities.” Over time, Bella discovers her passions for social justice, sex, and the creation of her own identity. How many women during the Victorian period were basically grown women with the minds of children having been stunted by society’s dictates? In that respect, this novel is amazingly profound.

There were some quite dull moments that had me zoning out from time to time, especially parts surrounding conversations about politics during the 19th century. These were, of course, important for Bella in crafting her identity, but for me they were a bit painful and I wished they’d be over. The most miserable portion was Alasdair Gray’s historical notes at the very end. I didn’t feel I needed most of them and, in some cases, couldn’t even recall if the people discussed had been present in the actual story. I assume I zoned out during their first introduction, so it was boring in both places.

As any and all narrators are utterly unreliable, I was constantly on my toes wondering what exactly was going on. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Gray throws in one final line that turns everything upside down again. So if you like novels in which reader interpretation is required, this is the book for you. At times it does read like a Victorian era classic with some modern twists. I can’t say I necessarily enjoyed reading this, but I do believe it has a lot of meaning and lot of literary merit. The writing is brilliant, and Bella is an utterly fascinating character. Overall, I give this one 4 stars out of respect for the sheer uniqueness of this novel.

First published January 1, 1992. This version published December 1, 2023 by Clipper Audiobooks. ISBN 9781004146277. Runtime 9 hrs 16 mins. Narrated by Russ Bain and Kathryn Drysdale.