"Poor Things" by Alasdair Gray

Anais' Annotations

For readers and fans of “Frankenstein” (1818) by Mary Shelley, Alasdair Gray has a twist for you in his 1992 novel, “Poor Things.” This may be a familiar title, as it was recently adapted into a film in 2023 starring Emma Stone. The movie is great, but as always, the book is better. 

This novel is a collection of letters, diary entries and medical notes. All of these elements come together to create a collage of different perspectives. Overall, it creates an engaging experience for readers, especially because there are so many little details included in each section. 

It begins with Max McCandless befriending the frightful Godwin Baxter, the son of a famous vivisectionist who is ostracized in college based on his terrifying features. Godwin, as a character, pays homage to the Creature of Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” as he is described as unusually tall and greatly disfigured. Godwin is not exactly a sympathetic character, but it is hard not to see how he ends up making some of the choices he makes based on his history. 

The true star of the show, of course, is Bella Baxter. Bella is at odds with typical “Frankenstein” retellings because, rather than a monster, she is a beautiful young woman. I enjoyed in particular that Gray chose to make Bella an intelligent character. Because of her creation story, he could have made her weak-minded for the entire tale, constantly being taken advantage of, but he has her grow and move forward instead. 

The narrative structure of this story allows readers to get little insight into Bella’s true thoughts and feelings. Most of the communications from her are through letters on a trip abroad, the final letter being one written at the very end of the book. This leaves some of Bella’s other character aspects up to the interpretation of the reader, as they must examine her through the eyes of Godwin, Max, Duncan and other characters to really make a decision about her. 

I think there has not, since Shakespeare, been a villain as expertly crafted as Duncan Wedderburn. While readers know he is completely foolish, he is treated seriously in the book, and it creates a situation that is both comedic and critical of manipulative men in power. Duncan is easy to hate; there is no doubt about that, but he also acts like such a fool. 

I would argue Duncan is not, as has been suggested, just a symbol for the patriarchy.

Rather, I think his relationship with Bella is meant to mimic the foolish and unserious nature of all childhood relationships, which Gray puts a twist on by making them two adults. It becomes more serious when readers must confront the consequences of Duncan’s childish behavior at odds with his adult power. 

For all of its serious elements, I found this book to be quite funny. The dialogue shared between Max and Godwin is often rife with intelligent humor. Duncan, as previously stated, might be the novel’s comedic peak. While I mostly found myself adoring her, it is also hard not to laugh at some of Bella’s antics as she learns and grows. 

My absolute favorite aspect of this book is the very end. In this letter, Bella reveals that Max compiled this book about her, and when she found it after his death, she was horrified at his explanation of events. She denies that she was ever resurrected from death, and she claims there was nothing unusual at all about her life before their meeting. 

This part does create some confusion, which is why I like it. Readers must decide for themselves who they believe. Is Bella truly a normal person who happened to marry an overly imaginative storyteller? Or, is Bella merely trying to cover up the past to keep Godwin’s memory and her own reputation unsullied? As for myself, I choose to believe that Max was telling the truth – it is too good a story to believe otherwise. 

Gray’s “Poor Things” is a prime example of how an old story can be revived. He honors the legacy of Mary Shelley while also incorporating his own unique style, story and characters. I think this book absolutely deserves a 10 out of 10.