Book of the Month: Poor Creatures by Mairi Kidd

We are delighted to kick off a new year of reading by offering you the chance to unearth the fascinating story of Mary Shelley – the mind which birthed Frankenstein's monster – by winning a copy of Poor Creatures by Mairi Kidd.

Be in with the chance of winning a copy by answering the question at the bottom of this page by 11.59pm on 31 January 2026. All entrants must reside in the UK and full terms and conditions apply.

Check out our competitions page to find more giveaways.

About Poor Creatures by Mairi Kidd

The worst monsters are the human kind. . .

Dundee, 1812. Isabel Baxter awaits the arrival of Mary Godwin, a girl of fierce intelligence and grand passions, sent north to recover from a mysterious ailment. The Baxter family home, nestled in woodland by the river Tay, seems the perfect retreat. But The Cottage is a place of secrets, and Mary is no ordinary guest.

As the girls grow closer, their friendship becomes all-consuming, haunted by memory, fuelled by feverish creativity, and shadowed by something monstrous.

Inspired by true events, this is an immersive reimagining of the young Mary Shelley before she became the author of Frankenstein. A story of girlhood, obsession, and the birth of a literary legend.

Q&A with Mairi Kidd

What can readers expect from Poor Creatures?

Readers can expect to meet a group of people who really existed in history. There’s Margaret, a seamstress in Bedlam, Isabel Baxter and her family of Dundee radicals, Harriet, the very young wife of a poet, and Mary Jane, a translator and publisher. What all of these people have in common is a link to Mary Godwin, better known today as Mary Shelley. When Mary was a teenager, she was sent away from home, first to Ramsgate and later to Dundee. The book picks up her story as she arrives in Scotland and forms an intense bond with Isabel. In writing it, I wanted to do some ‘visible mending’ where there are gaping holes in Mary’s story, and invite the reader to consider how Mary – and Frankenstein – may have cast a shadow over the other women in her life.

How do you choose what to read?

Often I don’t choose – I read a lot of books new and old for work, either for research or because I’m interviewing or appearing alongside other writers on stage at book festivals or events. I’ve been lucky enough to interview some real stars, from Booker Prize winners Bernardine Everisto and Damon Galgut to One Day author David Nicholls and all-round legend Judy Murray. When I have leisure time, my favourite thing is to go for a browse in my local bookshop, picking something that takes my fancy in the moment.

What was your favourite book as a child or teen?

As a child I loved Enid Blyton, although I didn’t have a favourite. I liked different series at different ages, graduating from The Faraway Tree to The Secret Seven and then Malory Towers by way of the circus stories. I loved children’s classics like Heidi and Anne of Green Gables, too. When I was a teen, there was relatively little YA fiction around and so I went straight on to the Brontës, George Eliot and Jane Austen. I was growing up at just the right time to have access to amazing Scottish writing too, thanks to the Canongate Classics, and discovered many of my still-favourites such as Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Naomi Mitchison’s Corn King and the Spring Queen.

How do you get out of a reading slump?

I don’t really ever get in a reading slump; my challenge is far more likely to be finding time. One tip I have is not to worry about what you ‘should’ be reading, definitely ask yourself what you’re in the mood for and remember you’re the only person you need to please. Any time I’m under the weather, I re-read Rebecca and rewatch the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. I find comfort in revisiting a familiar world if I’m unwell.

What's your favourite place to read?

On holiday in France, ideally in the pool in the sunshine! For the last few years, my husband and I have rented a house in the French countryside with pals. I pack twelve books for ten days, read and read and read as I float about (pool noodles help me keep the book relatively dry), and then I have plenty of space in my bag to bring home a bottle of Champagne, smoked almonds and some souvenirs from the local market.

What's the last great book you read?

That’s a hard question! One that I have recommended to a lot of people is North Woods by Daniel Mason. It’s the story of a small piece of land in America, told in fragments large and small as time passes, with the help of supposed written sources. We meet runaway settlers, a dreaming farmer, an artist and many, many more people, and also beetles and spores and wildcats. Objects and bodies and ideas appear and reappear – it’s awe-inspiring.