Point of View

Frankissstein: A Love Story is told in the first-person narrative stance. The bulk of the novel is told by two first person narrators: Mary Shelley, who tells the story of writing Frankenstein in the 1800s, and Dr. Ry Shelley, a transgender narrator who tells the story of falling in love with Professor Victor Stein in present-day England. As the similar names suggest, the two narrative strains and points of view mirror each other and deal with similar themes. Like Mary Shelley in the 19th century, Ry faces discrimination in present-day England. Both Ry and Mary choose to live outside of gender norms as Mary Shelley begins her affair with Percy Shelley when he is still married and Ry, who looks like a man, beings a relationship with Victor Stein although he continually claims throughout the novel that he is not gay. Ry remains skeptical of...