The Patrick Melrose Novels

Never Mind I was shocked by this book. It is supposedly about a little boy, Patrick, but he hovers around the edge of the story like a little ghost, barely making an appearance and on the run from his vicious violent father (who demeans the mother and rapes the child) and from his completely uninterested mother. Two other couples make an appearance: Victor Eisen, a Jewish philosopher and his American journalist girlfriend Anne, and Nicholas Pratt, wealthy something or other and his very young and very self centred glittering girlfriend Bridget (who is as sure she will have to end up marrying him as he is that he will have to get rid of her!). These people bring insight into the situation. But it is a black and horrible story about the acceptance of the father’s sadism and brutality. Friends had told me this was a funny book and indeed its scathing satire of the upper classes is at times; however the violence of the father overshadows all. And then I discovered that the book is autobiographical. St Aubyn was either going to write it or kill himself. There are more books in the series and I will go on to read them but not expecting the witticisms and light heartedness of the Mitfords this time!