The Sugar Glider Jesus: Symbol of Fragile Love in Cleopatra and Frankenstein
What Is the Sugar Glider Jesus?
In Coco Mellors' debut novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein, the sugar glider named Jesus is a tiny marsupial that Frank impulsively buys for his wife Cleo in an attempt to mend their growing emotional distance. The creature—the size of a packet of Sweet’n Low—has huge black eyes, a lilac-gray body, and a dark stripe down its back. Frank acquires it through a Craigslist ad, taking the subway to the Bronx to pick up a baby girl from a woman who keeps the gliders in her house. The pet is originally called "Oh Jesus How I Adore You" because Frank recalls a sign-language hymn from his childhood, and Cleo shortens the name to simply Jesus.
The sugar glider is not just a pet; it becomes a shared project for Cleo and Frank. They research its needs, buy a cage, and discover that sugar gliders are illegal in New York City. They delight in the risk and the novelty. At night, they let Jesus roam freely in their bedroom, proofing the space against escape and drowning. The animal brings a sense of play and care into their strained marriage, but its presence also underscores the couple's underlying fragility.
The Sugar Glider's Role in the Novel
The sugar glider appears most prominently in Chapter Nine (January), the chapter that covers Frank's acquisition and the first weeks of its life with the couple. It functions as a tangible symbol of the marriage itself. Frank buys Jesus after a conversation with his coworker Eleanor, who suggests sugar gliders as an alternative to cats or dogs. Frank's motivation is partly to cheer Cleo up: Cleo has been depressed, painting less, and sleeping on the sofa. He hopes the pet will restore the vitality that once existed between them.
The name "Jesus" is layered. It comes from a prayer that Frank's mother taught him at a fundamentalist Christian camp: "Oh Jesus how I adore you." Cleo finds this hilarious and they adopt the name, but the phrase carries a tone of desperate devotion. Frank later swears "on Jesus" that he will never leave Cleo—a promise that he ultimately breaks. The pet thus becomes a vessel for both their adoration and their unspoken fears.
As outlined in the story, the sugar glider eventually dies by drowning—a fate Cleo had worried about from the start (she insisted the toilet seat stay down). The death is never shown in the provided excerpts, but its occurrence is confirmed by the broader narrative context. Jesus' death coincides with the accelerating collapse of the marriage, making the pet's loss a direct metaphor for the couple's failed bond.
How Its Meaning Changes
Initially, the sugar glider represents hope and spontaneity. Frank's trip to the Bronx is an adventure; Cleo's delight upon seeing Jesus is genuine. The animal gives them a shared focus, something to coo over and to bond with. They stay up late listening to Jesus whir in her wheel, and the intimacy of these moments leads to a conversation about having children. In that scene, Cleo declares, "If we ever have a kid, she is going to be so spoiled." The sugar glider becomes a practice child, a test of their nurturing abilities.
But as the marriage deteriorates, the meaning of Jesus shifts. The pet's illegality mirrors the unspoken taboo of their relationship: Frank is Cleo's sponsor for her green card, and their marriage is partly transactional. The sugar glider requires constant care—special food, a safe room, protection from cats—just as the marriage requires constant emotional labor. When Jesus drowns, it is not an accident but an inevitability; the safeguards they put in place prove insufficient. The drowning symbolizes the failure of their efforts to keep their love safe.
Later, after Frank and Cleo separate, Frank visits Cleo in Rome in Chapter Seventeen (January). They talk about old times, including their "Pinch Punch" game, and agree to divorce. No mention of Jesus is made in that chapter, which underscores how the pet has been erased—much like the marriage itself.
Connections to Characters and Themes
The sugar glider is most directly linked to Cleo and Frank. It embodies their capacity for tenderness and their inability to sustain it. Cleo, an artist with a history of depression and a mother who died by suicide, is drawn to the creature's vulnerability. Frank, a successful ad executive who uses charm to avoid emotional depth, sees the pet as a solution to a problem. The sugar glider is also tied to the theme of Love and Marriage: the couple believes that owning a pet will fix their relationship, a common but misguided strategy.
The theme of Addiction and Recovery surfaces indirectly. Frank's drinking escalates during the marriage, and Jesus becomes part of the chaos. In a notable scene, Frank gives Jesus a nut, and Cleo later gives her another, causing the little glider to run frantically. The overindulgence mirrors Frank's own lack of control. The sugar glider dies because of neglect—a startling parallel to how addiction erodes care.
The animal also connects to Mental Illness and Trauma. Cleo's fear that she lacks a "maternal gene" echoes her mother's mental health struggles. The sugar glider becomes an object on which Cleo projects her anxieties about motherhood and her own worth.
Finally, the pet touches on Art and Commerce. Frank buys the glider, just as he buys everything else in their life: the apartment, the plane tickets, the time. Cleo, whose art is struggling, resents this commercial intrusion. The sugar glider is a consumer good—purchased for $300 from a stranger—and its death is a critique of the way love is monetized.
Four Study Questions and Answers
1. Why is the sugar glider named "Jesus," and what does the name reveal about Frank and Cleo's relationship?
The naming scene occurs when Cleo receives the pet. Frank recalls a sign-language phrase from his camp days: "Oh Jesus how I adore you." Cleo loves the absurdity and decides to call the sugar glider "Oh Jesus How I Adore You," later shortened to Jesus. The name reveals a blend of sacrilege and devotion. Frank uses the name to perform adoration, but the phrase also hints at the desperate need for divine intervention in their marriage. It shows that their relationship is built on playful, ironic gestures rather than genuine stability.
2. How does the sugar glider function as a "practice child" for Cleo and Frank?
In Chapter Nine, Cleo states that if they ever have a child, it will be spoiled. The sugar glider requires the same type of care as a baby: feeding schedules, safety-proofing, and attention. The couple's conversations about Jesus lead directly to the topic of children. Cleo admits she is worried she lacks a maternal gene because her own mother did, and Frank reassures her. The pet becomes a test of Cleo's capacity for nurture and of Frank's ability to be a provider. When Jesus drowns, it foreshadows the failure of their projected family.
3. What does the sugar glider's death symbolize about Cleo and Frank's marriage?
The sugar glider's drowning is a direct symbol of the marriage's fragility. The couple took precautions—keeping the toilet seat down, closing windows—but those measures were not enough. Similarly, they tried to protect their relationship with green cards, apologies, and sex, but underlying issues of addiction, trauma, and inequality remained. The death is accidental, but in retrospect it feels inevitable. It represents the point of no return: after Jesus dies, the bond between Cleo and Frank cannot be repaired.
4. How does the sugar glider relate to the theme of illegality and transgression in the novel?
The Petco employee warns Frank and Cleo that sugar gliders are illegal in all five boroughs because they could breed with eastern gray squirrels, creating unmanageable flying squirrels. Cleo and Frank laugh this off and buy the pet anyway. This lawbreaking mirrors the transgressive nature of their marriage—Frank helps Cleo stay in the country through a marriage of convenience. Both the pet and the marriage are technically illicit. The risk adds excitement but also instability. The sugar glider's death confirms that operating outside the rules has consequences.