That's no excuse for their behavior, and of course not all people with these problems turn out like Cleo and Frank. All these things can add up to the perfect cocktail of misery and searching for meaning. Young people, people with addictions, people with traumatic childhood experiences, whatever it may be. People in love, or in lust, don't see the world beyond them. And I would've appreciated a bit more time to have the characters really dig into their issues, to grapple with the fact that the world is much bigger than just the two of them though in some ways I think that's part of the point Mellors is trying to make.

You have to be willing to go on a journey that doesn't necessarily leave our protagonists shining and shimmering in the end. You have to be okay with unlikeable characters to read this book. While not every sentence sticks the landing, there's more than enough in this novel to make up for the few issues I had with it, especially considering this is a debut! Mellors really does know how to write, how to set a scene, describe the setting, hit the reader with some strong images, and write a darn good metaphor. At the same time, it's highly readable and incredibly engaging. This feels in some ways like it was written to eventually be adapted I'd be shocked if it isn't a miniseries in the next few years. There is no doubt that Cleo and Frank are fairly pretentious. And honestly, in some ways it kind of is.

When Frank describes Cleo's British accent as 'how biting into a Granny Smith apple feels.crisp,' I figured this might be some overwrought, MFA-style prose. I'll admit: the first page of this book had me rolling my eyes.

The effects of their marriage reverberate out into the lives of their family and friends: Zoe, Frank's ambitious half-sister Quentin, Cleo's best friend grappling with his sexuality Eleanor, a new hire at Frank's office and more. Their caustic relationship, however, doesn't prove to be as picture perfect as it seems, as each struggles with addiction (whether sex, drugs or alcohol) and mental health issues. She, an early 20s artist, and he, a mid-40s ad executive, bond over their troubled family histories and seek solace in one another. Either described as poignant and relatable or shallow and pretentious, this debut novel from Coco Mellors feels like the personification of an Instagram filter-something that simultaneously enhances and yet covers up reality.Ĭleo and Frank, the eponymous couple (though those are not their legal names, but 'cute' nicknames they give each other early on in their relationship), meet on New Year's Eve and are married within six months.

Goodreads cleopatra and frankenstein