The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein in Around the Year in 52 Books

Dec 19, 2019 Jacqie rated it it was amazing

I just read Frankenstein and was struck by how very self-centered Victor Frankenstein was. Elizabeth, his doomed bride, barely gets an appearance in the book and Victor mostly notes how she "belongs to him". Creepy, Victor. Elizabeth finally gets a voice in this book, and I love that the author dedicated the book to "those who feel like a side character in their own story".

In this book, Elizabeth is given life. She is a scrappy young woman who knows that her security is hanging by a thread, a t I just read Frankenstein and was struck by how very self-centered Victor Frankenstein was. Elizabeth, his doomed bride, barely gets an appearance in the book and Victor mostly notes how she "belongs to him". Creepy, Victor. Elizabeth finally gets a voice in this book, and I love that the author dedicated the book to "those who feel like a side character in their own story".

In this book, Elizabeth is given life. She is a scrappy young woman who knows that her security is hanging by a thread, a thread that Victor Frankenstein holds. She has mostly convinced herself that her dependence on Victor equals love (probably because fooling herself this way helps her to survive), but here and there you can see uneasiness. Elizabeth is extremely protective of Victor because if anything happens to him, she will be cast out of the Frankenstein house with no resources. At the beginning of the book, she is traveling with her maid/friend Justine to figure out why Victor has been incommunicado ever since he went to university. The book traces most of the Frankenstein story through Elizabeth's eyes.

I really liked Elizabeth and found her a very believable character. She isn't perfect, and that's part of what I liked about her. She is selfish and uses people and she knows it. Elizabeth manipulates people to survive but as a consequence she hasn't let anyone truly know her. (At least, so Elizabeth thinks. We don't know how other characters truly see her). As Elizabeth slowly becomes more honest with herself about what Victor is, the tension in the book grows. This is a gothic tale and I mostly have little patience with this sort of story, but because I was invested in Elizabeth I kept reading eagerly. Elizabeth uses what power she can and is determined not to be a victim, but ultimately as a nineteenth century woman her life and livelihood is dependent on how men treat her.

I loved how the author built her characters and how she justified Elizabeth's actions in a believable, if not always flattering, way. She made the Frankenstein story much more interesting and also took a piercing look at how women must often behave in order to survive in a world where their welfare is dependent on men. I'm interested to read more by this author. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review