The title, in St Aubyn’s usual mix of witty and a bit cruel, forefronts the role of mothers, their either unlimited (in the case of Mary) or twisted (in the case of Patrick’s mother) capacity for love. Each section is told from a different character’s point of view-Patrick and Mary’s five-year-old son Robert Patrick, now in his early 40s and no longer a heroin addict, who drinks a lot instead and justifies his mid-life crisis affairs Mary, who has devoted herself so entirely to the care and wellbeing of her sons that Patrick is an afterthought and then, finally, the whole family. These are just a few of the Lit Hub staff’s go-to summer novels, perfect to dive into this season and for seasons to come.Įdward St Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose novels are dark, funny, and beautifully written and the fourth book in the five-book series, Mother’s Milk, takes place over four successive Augusts on the Melroses’ summer vacations. If you’re looking for a tried-and-true Summer Book-out of step though it may be with the publishing calendar-to take with you on your real or virtual travels, look no further. They’re the books that make you instantly smell salt, or feel the sun on your skin-or simply manage to evoke the precise magic of the season in one way or another. Every summer comes with a brand new slate of summer reading lists, but some summer novels are eternal.
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