Book of the Month: June 2022

01.06.2022

Uwe Klawitter recommends Dunbar by Edward St Aubyn (2017).

"Edward St. Aubyn's novel Dunbar tells the story of the fictitious Canadian media mogul Henry Dunbar who has given control of his worldwide media empire to his two eldest daughters Abigail and Megan, only to find out that they have him certified and institutionalised in a hospital for the elderly in Northern England. As he makes his escape across the wintry hills of the Lake District, his youngest, estranged daughter Florence takes up battle against her half-sisters to ensure her father's well-being. The personal conflicts are tied up with machinations in global finance, which feature some really unsavoury characters. St Aubyn plays out his talent here for the scathing portraiture of the life and mindset of the superrich (see his Patrick Melrose novels). Highly topical is his criticism of the power of media tycoons as well as ruthless takeover battles and their potentially devastating consequences. For those who want to register it, Dunbar is a clever rewriting of Shakespeare's King Lear. To find out how Aubyn adapts the Shakespearean text to his own purposes can add considerable pleasure to this really good read."