Gabrielle's Reviews > Poor Things

Updated with thoughts about the movie at the bottom.



I read somewhere that this book could aptly be summarized as a feminist, socialist riff on "Frankenstein", one of my favorite books, so I was quite eager to read it. In fact, I am amazed it never appeared on my radar before I was suddenly surrounded by trailers for the Yorgos Lanthimos movie adaptation. I guess this is the quiet type of amazing book, that flies just under the pop culture radar until some weirdo with an amazing eye for period pieces decides to make a movie out of it. Now I was in quite a hurry to read it because I wanted to go on a movie date with my bestie - and I much prefer reading the books before seeing the movies.

I am a sucker for a few things when it comes to books, and the whole "book within a book" framing is one, as is the adorable "this is a reproduction of a found manuscript" device. So as soon as I cracked this novel open, I was cackling maniacally.

There are so many wonderful layers to peel back with "Poor Things", starting with Bella, a woman who was resurrected, given her unborn child's brain and stitched back together. But even without trying to see her as a metaphor for anything, she is, first and foremost, a grown woman who is innocent of her society's arbitrary, sexist and oppressive rules. She has a child's candor and enthusiasm for experience and sensations, something neither her creator, Dr. Baxter, or the man who falls in love with her, McCandless, knows how to handle. In fact, no one knows quite what to do with Bella, who is in fact doing nothing more than being her purest self.

I love that while this is a perfectly executed pastiche of Victorian fiction, it never falls into clumsy presentism while discussing very modern ideas. The surrealistic elements, questionable narration and characters that defy stereotype classification make this a really remarkable novel. I am happy that it was made into a movie (can't wait to see it next week!) because that will hopefully bring it back into the spotlight. A little, weird, baroque treasure!

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I finally went to see the movie, and I am delighted to report that I absolutely loved it! It's stunning, surreal, grotesque and magnificent!

Yes, the sex scenes are rather explicit, as where they are merely hinted at in the book, but I find that they are an important part of Bella's story, and it doesn't feel gratuitous. If anything, they are quite realistic in the sense that sex isn't always pretty.

The movie is gorgeous, but the dialogue is also incredible, as are the performances. Some details were changed, and I think the changes made sense for a smoother page-to-screen adaptation. This movie deserves every award it is nominated for!