Photos & Story by Marianne Salza
“Love & Other Monsters,” written by best-selling author, Emily Franklin, is a haunting historical fiction book about creativity, desperation, and complicated love. Set in the summer of 1816, the Regency-era novel focuses on the bright Claire Clarmont, the 18-year-old forgotten stepsister of Mary Shelley, author of the science fiction horror, “Frankenstein.”
Franklin discussed “Love & Other Monsters,” her 25th book that tells the story of how “Frankenstein” came to be from Claire’s perspective, during her April 14th Beacon Hill Women’s Forum presentation at the Union Club of Boston.
“I wrote this book because Claire Clarmont is the reason we have ‘Frankenstein,’” emphasized Franklin. “She is, in my mind, witty, wise, vivacious, and outgoing; especially when compared to her stepsister, Mary. Claire and Mary have a relationship that toggles between closeness and competition.”
In “Love & Other Monsters” a group of famous, Romantic Gothic young writers — Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, her fiancé and poet, Percy Shelley, celebrity and poet, Lord Byron, his personal physician, John Polidori, and Claire Clairmont, Mary’s devoted, but dejected stepsister — gather in a mansion on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary begins writing “Frankenstein” and Byron creates the modern vampire.
“’Love & Other Monsters’ is about the creation of fake monsters on the page, the monster of making art, and the monsters hiding in plain sight,” described Franklin. “’Love & Others Monsters” is about the female experience – an ordinary girl surrounded by an extraordinary group being spied on by the paparazzi of the era, and made of people who may act bravely in the political and artistic realm; and yet, treat the people in front of them poorly.”
In 2009, Franklin became captivated by the story of the literary figures vacationing in a lakeside villa during a dark and stormy summer when masterful works were created; but became curious as to why Claire’s journal and writings from the time are mysteriously missing. “Love & Other Monsters” seeks to answer that question, with each member of the party harboring intimate reasons to erase her memory from history.
“I love research,” said Franklin. “I tried very hard to stay as true as I can to the facts that I’ve learned and at the same time write a gripping novel. There are tons of books about Byron, and tons of biographies about Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley. Even John Polidori’s journals survive from that summer. I was also reading gardening manuals from then and ‘Paradise Lost’ because we know Mary was reading this when she was writing ‘Frankenstein.’ I like to research far and wide.”
During the forum, Franklin described her research process and source materials, which included correspondence with academic scholars, and examining the political climate, local street records, and etymology.
From surviving documents, it was revealed to Franklin that Claire was a passionate and beautiful writer. She was also a critical and practical go-between in Mary and Percy’s relationship, with Mary relying on Claire for childcare and companionship.
“We know this is true. This is very well-documented. As I dug further into my research, I went back to the 1831 copy of ‘Frankenstein,’ and Mary Shelley says in the preface about the origin story of ‘Frankenstein:’ ‘There were four of us there that summer.’ But there were five and we know this. Why would Mary Shelley write her own stepsister out of the story? That became the starting point for me with ‘Love & Other Monsters.’”
Franklin’s novel opens with 80-year-old Claire reflecting on that summer.
“It goes back to the [Søren] Kierkegaard idea that life is lived forward, but understood backwards. Everyone we love will eventually become a ghost of memory. We carry a deeper understanding of what it means to be human,” explained Franklin. “’Frankenstein’ and ‘Love & Other Monsters’ are both novels about that mix of wonder and loss baked into a person.”
Franklin’s first passion was poetry, and some of her high school pieces were published in The Boston Globe. Franklin writes about family, food, loss, nature, and memory in genres such as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, young adult fiction, a cook book, essays, and screenplays. Her various work has been featured in The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, The Journal of the American Medical Association, read aloud on National Public Radio, and more. Her novel, “The Lioness of Boston,” based on the life of Isabella Stewart Gardener, was recently presented as a clue on Jeopardy!.
Franklin, who lives in Newton with her spouse, four children, and large dogs, is now in the beginning of her 22-state book tour for “Love & Other Monsters,” published in April 2026.
Beacon Hill Civic Association Community Corner
The Beacon Hill Civic Association invites members to its annual Members-Only Cruise aboard the Valiant, operated by the Charles River Boat Company, on Wednesday, May 27th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Join fellow neighbors for an evening on the water. Tickets are available at www.bhcivic.org. This event is open to BHCA members only.
Upcoming Meetings& Events
Meet & Greet – Monday, May 4th, 6pm, 75 Chestnut
Streets & Sidewalks Committee – Wednesday, May 6th, 5:30pm, via Zoom
Member’s Cruise on the Valiant – Wednesday, May 27th, 6:30pm, Rowes Wharf
Save the Dates!
First Friday Coffee Hour – Friday, June 5th, 8:30am, 74 Joy Street; an MBTA representative will be our guest
Summer Evening at Otis House – Thursday, June 11th, 6pm, Otis House
For further information on BHCA events and meetings, or to volunteer, please contact the BHCA office at 617-227-1922.