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Book 1. Never mind
Patrick lives in a big house with his mum and dad, but the person who is most attached to him is the housekeeper Yvette. The boy lives in his own world of imaginary games and childhood fears, but his father's only punishment brings him into the world of adults. Now he is even lonelier than he was before.
The first novel, Ignore Me, from the Patrick Melrose series, introduces the reader to the protagonist's childhood and shows the atmosphere in which he grew up. The life of an English aristocrat and an American rich woman was subject to "high" standards, according to which the main thing was external, brilliant and superior, and the real problems and experiences always remained somewhere there, behind tightly closed bedroom doors.
Book 2. Patrick Melrose. Bad News
«Bad News» — is the second book in the series about Patrick Melrose. A sudden call forces Patrick to fly from London to New York for a few days. He can't believe the news he receives and feels completely different from what a good son should feel after the unexpected death of a good father.
A mourning trip turns into a drug tour. St Aubyn skilfully describes the effects of various drugs, which Patrick uses to hide from the world around him.
Book 3. Patrick Melrose. A Little Hope
The events of the third novel in the Patrick Melrose series take place eight years after the death of David Melrose. Patrick learns to live in a new way, and to do so, he has to deal with the skeletons in his own closet. For many years, he avoided even thinking about what happened to him as a child, and he truly hated his father. But now he's ready to face the ghosts of his past.
In a brilliantly ironic manner, St Aubyn depicts the prim and pretentious life of the British aristocracy, inviting the reader to a party where the main guest is Princess Margaret.
Book 4. Patrick Melrose. Mother's Milk
Patrick overcame drug addiction, got married and lived a completely normal life. He is raising two sons and above all, he wants to protect them from the horrors of his own childhood. But can an adult get rid of the ghosts of the past? Will his wife have the strength to deal with another capricious child like Patrick? Will Patrick himself have enough sonly love to accept his mother's decision? In this novel, the characters, despite their age and apparent life experience, continue to search for themselves, trying to separate their own "me" from childhood traumas, parental mistakes, wrong decisions, social pressure and bad habits. However, maybe this is their true self?
Book 5. Patrick Melrose. At last
«Finally» — the final part of the story about Patrick Melrose. Everyone gathered at Elinor's funeral: friends, relatives, former lovers, old enemies and casual acquaintances. How does her son feel? Has he forgiven her? Perhaps now is the best time to do so. During the service and later, in the restaurant, Patrick analyses his life and tries to find signs of the liberation he wants from the past. Edward St Aubyn dissects human souls in the same sharp and ironic way, showing the reader not always the most pleasant, but definitely the most important.
