HOLIDAY READING

Another long gap between posts I'm afraid. I'm still working on trying to achieve a balance between reading and writing and have been doing much more of the former rather than the latter these past weeks. And I have taken an early summer holiday as well. A week away was just enough time to consume the five Edward St Aubyn 'Melrose' novels which I've somehow missed until now - Melvyn Bragg alerted me to their existence in one of his 'In Our Time' newsletters. They are all completely compelling books that really have to be read in sequence and preferably with a stiff drink to hand. If your idea of a good novel is one in which you can feel empathy with the characters these books are, unless you're a conceited, arrogant, spineless sadist, probably not for you. If beautifully written prose, witty, quasi-philosophical dialogue and superb characterisation are your criteria however then I recommend them without reservation. All five books - Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, Mother's Milk and At Last are heavily autobiographical which renders the early, odious incident that overshadows almost the entire narrative even more shocking. For an excellent, detailed account of St Aubyn's life to date and a critique of these haunting books read Ian Parker's long piece Inheritance in this week's New Yorker.