Frankissstein: A Love Story

⊳ Frankissstein: A Love Story
⊳ Jeanette Winterson
⊳ Jonathan Cape
⊳ 2019

1816: a group of friends gathers in a villa close to Lake Geneva. Bored by the rainy weather that keep them indoors they challenge each other to write the best horror story. The only woman of the writers, Mary Shelley, transforms the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus, the titan who stole the fire to give to the humanity and was punished by the gods. This is where the story about Victor Frankenstein and his monster is born. A story that questions how far humanity could and should go with science. If we go too far, will we be punished?

200 years later, in an episode of @svtbabel in March 2020 Jeanette Winterson says: “Hold on! We are the first generation who can read this book right.”

Winterson uses Shelley’s story to explore how modern science pushes the boundaries of the human body and mind through AI and transhumanism. Her novel is an exquisite example of how to blend non-fiction writing with fiction. History, religion and literature are mixed with biology and technology aiming to reach the moral and ethical aspects of science and innovation. Should we fear or look forward to a transhuman future?

Although Winterson is an extraordinarily talented writer and Frankissstein: A Love Story is a very interesting text I have some issues with the dramaturgy of the novel. The tempo shifts in an awkward way, parts could have been erased or restructured to make the reading experience more smooth and the final fifty pages doesn’t match the rest of the book. Suddenly, the thoughtful and nuanced writing shifts into some kind of Hollywood action movie ending. A bit confusing to me.

I like novels with many layers that challenge me to think further. I don’t necessary need the novel to answer all the questions it raises, but I want the novel to explore the topics in a way that makes me try to reach beyond the book in my understanding of them. Frankissstein: A Love Story is one of those novels.

Du som vill veta mer om Frankissstein. En kärlekshistoria och mina och Millas tankar om boken kan lyssna på avsnitt 3 av Bögbibblan Podcast. Finns på Acast, Podcaster, Google Podcast och Spotify!

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