Very rarely does one come across a book quite like Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things. The novel, which has been described as a “booby-trapped version of Frankenstein” by The New York Times, consists of the compiled notes of medical student Archibald McCandless and follows his strange (and, at times, unbelievable) encounters with fiendish scientist Godwin Baxter and his equally strange ward, Bella. In 19th-Century Glasgow, Archibald becomes deeply infatuated with Bella and increasingly distrustful of Godwin, resulting in a frightful triangle of power and ambition. At the center of the chaos is Bella, who the reader initially only sees through the eyes of Archibald, and has her own passions and desires.
From the very beginning, Gray draws you in, with thought-provoking images, anatomical diagrams, and a retelling of the book’s unique history. As you’re carried through the twists and turns of Poor Things, you slowly come to realize that something’s not quite right. The truth of this peculiarity is only revealed in the last chapter of the book, and will surely leave you feeling both shocked and enlightened.
Though Poor Things does contain hints of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Alasdair Gray has created something entirely individual. The novel serves as a stimulating form of social commentary, subtly revealing the biases and prejudices of its characters and what this means for the story at large. Bella’s experiences as a woman living in the shadow of the patriarchy, and her quest to discover her identity and understand it, is both inspiring and evocative. I can safely say you will walk away from Poor Things with an altered perspective, of both Bella’s world and your own.
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