Despite being set in France, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book which demonstrated the utter toxicity of English snobbery so perfectly. 'Never Mind' made my blood run cold, as it recounted a day in the life of David Melrose, his wife Eleanor, and their son Patrick. David is a sadistic and abusive psychopath, yet because he is well bred his behaviour goes unchallenged. He is an utterly terrifying character thanks to his plausibility. Indeed, the various subtle humiliations of social occasions described seemed at times unpleasantly and viscerally familiar. The unspoken gradations of the English class system and their expressions never fail to make me angry. (Possibly this is one of the reasons I’m fascinated by the French Revolution and its anti-aristocratic zeal.)

My feelings about the class system aside, the writing here is precise, vicious, and magnificently accomplished. Each character is effortlessly laid bare to the reader. From the very start I was reminded of the poisonous beauty of [b:Lolita|7604|Lolita|Vladimir Nabokov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377756377s/7604.jpg|1268631], then horrified by the assault on Patrick which added further similarity. I will very likely read the subsequent Patrick Melrose novels, given the exemplary quality of writing. Nonetheless, I can’t say that I enjoyed 'Never Mind' and I dread to think what his appalling upbringing will turn poor Patrick into. ( )

I get that Patrick Melrose is meant to be a sort of anti-hero, but it's for that reason that I have little empathy or identification with him, which to me is a primal literary sin. Above all, a protagonist MUST be somewhat sympathetic for the reader. Not so here. The writing is superb, but the character and story don't resonate with me. ( )

Clearly an excellent writer. But I don't care one whit about any of the (pathetic) characters, not even Patrick Melrose himself. I've given it a go, but think my life's too short for this set. ( )

This book definitely made an impression. I enjoyed St Aubyn's writing style and the characters were intriguing in a car crash sort of way. I am actually reading the combined first 4 Patrick Melrose novels, but I don't tend to read series all together (or at all, normally.) I didn't want to have the entire book sitting on my "reading" shelf for however long it takes me to get through all four of them.

That being said, I anticipate giving future novels higher ratings, as it really does seem like these are up my alley. Stay tuned I guess! ( )

Six obnoxious upper-class English people get together for dinner at the chateau of the Melrose's, in the South of France; on the periphery is five-year-old Patrick Melrose, the confused and cowed victim of his father's breathtaking cruelty.

That's pretty much it. There's nothing in this novel to get excited about, and no character to really identify with. Not even Patrick, whom the author makes clear is just as much a bully as his father, given the chance.

The Melrose novels have a huge reputation, but I doubt that I'll bother, on the evidence of this one. ( )