A Debut for a Debut: Cleopatra and Frankenstein.

- a novel by Coco Mellors

I read this book just last year & what a promising debut!

It goes without saying that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!!

It gave me the confidence to try more recent authors and contemporary themes.

Set in New York, a 20 something British woman Cleo, who also happens to be in need of a green card, meets and 'falls in love' (because what exactly is love and with who and for how long?) with an older yet charming (aren't they all) Frank. The novel follows the rupture of their lives and the people around them from one spontaneous decision. Each character experiences their own thing, their own dilemmas and their own story.

What's human nature and morality if not in a 'grey zone'? The characters are achingly real and relatable. The novel depicts the myriad of experiences we go through in our 20s, self-awareness, what makes the cut to 'meaningful' and what doesn't, of knowing and not knowing. How it shapes the decades beyond it.

An easy 5 star. A modern favourite for me.