Cleopatra and Frankenstein

by Coco Mellors · 2022

When 24‑year‑old British painter Cleo flees London for the restless streets of New York, she’s chasing a dream of artistic freedom while her student visa ticks down. At a New Year’s Eve party she meets Frank, a charismatic self‑made success twenty years her senior, whose life is saturated with the wealth and excess she craves. Their impulsive decision to marry—part escape, part promise—offers Cleo a green‑card, a chance to paint without restraint, and a partner who seems to fill every gap in her life. For Frank, Cleo brings color, vulnerability, and a reason to temper his reckless habits. Their whirlwind union sends shockwaves through their inner circles: a best friend wrestling with gender identity, a financially dependent sister navigating sugar‑daddy arrangements, and a host of other friends whose own lives are reshaped by the couple’s choices. Coco Mellors delivers a witty, tender, and sharply observed debut that follows Cleo and Frank through love, ambition, and the messy aftermath of a marriage made on impulse, illuminating how a single encounter can rewrite the futures of everyone involved.