Review: Unnatural Creatures

 Unnatural Creatures begs to be compared with Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, because there’s a huge hole in both: the main character. The mover of events. And focusing instead on peripheral characters,  in both points up the artificial nature of a plot’s unraveling.  The main characters (in this case Victor Frankenstein’s mother Caroline, his future bride Elizabeth, and her malformed maid, Justine) are  largely cut off from knowledge of what causes the mayhem which claims them all. This isn’t merely a shifting of perspective: Victor Frankenstein and his creation are rarely on stage, or even in the same geographic location as our three heroines. The sources of his genius and his madness are obscured. The monster himself is only glimpsed at first, and he and his creator never share the stage.

All this would seem to be insurmountable obstacles to the story development. But Waldherr has created (or extrapolated) such complex, breathing characters that the hole at the center of her story becomes a whirling maelstrom which seeks to drown its main characters. Her secret is in placing the blame for the horrifying events which occur on Caroline, Elizabeth, and Justine in turn—in their own minds. Which leads them to struggle with their fates—fates laid down two centuries ago by Mary Shelley. The struggle is fascinating, not least because Waldherr coaxes forth a wholly original story which cheats the original. 

Does the monster have his revenge on his creator? Or is he tracked down and destroyed? Like I’m going to tell you. Unnatural Creatures is at its heart a magic show. I’d never reveal the magician’s secrets. What are you waiting for? Read it.