Overview

Poor Things follows Bella Baxter, a woman brought to life in Victorian Scotland in a wildly unusual way. Told through the accounts of doctor Archibald McCandless and later Bella herself, the story spins through her awakening, travels and defiance of the limits society tries to impose on her.

Writing & Voice

We found Gray’s style inventive, mixing gothic pastiche with sharp satire and metafictional play. The voice shifts between earnest narrative and ironic commentary. Illustrations and faux historical framing add richness and humour to the layered text.

Content & Perspective

The novel presents a “found” medical memoir recounting Bella’s origin and growth from near-zero understanding to political awareness, then challenges that narrative with Bella’s own corrective letter. This dual perspective keeps the truth unstable and engages readers in questions of authority and story.

Themes

Poor Things explores identity, autonomy, social norms, class and gender. It riffs on Frankenstein’s creation myth to critique Victorian patriarchy and celebrate Bella’s lusty curiosity and rejecting of imposed roles, all while poking fun at genre conventions and historical narrative.

What Worked

• Bold narrative structure that constantly questions its own truth.
• Memorable protagonist whose growth drives the tale.
• Sharp satire of Victorian social and literary norms.

Minor Quibbles

• The metafictional layering can feel disorienting at points.
• Detailed pastiche may slow pacing for some readers.

Final Thoughts

Playful, provocative, and surprisingly tender, Poor Things delighted us with its bold structure, sharp satire, and its insistence on a woman claiming her own story.

Rating: ★★★★½ / 5