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A review by katrinky
At Last by Edward St Aubyn
3.0
St Aubyn's philosopher characters are always over my head, and it's unlikely that every single person in Patrick's life would be able to keep up with his blisteringly complex reflections on existence, addiction, love, abuse, etymology, etc. And this is the first book where I thought a character (in this case, Patrick's broke and selfish fallen heiress of an aunt, Nancy) was over the top. Her vanity and desperation to remain relevant in English high society were cartoonish. The children, Robert and Thomas, pensive, joyful geniuses that they are, continue to be my favorite. And I appreciate that Patrick seems like he just maybe will work through the mire of his awful parents' legacies.
Best scene: the roundtable of characters' thoughts during the songs and readings at Eleanor's fuenral. Erasmus, obsessed with the philosophy of consciousness during a Porgy and Bess song; Nancy and Nicholas, horrified at Yeats poetry that implies there is good to be found outside of possessions; Annette, getting overcome by her own prowess in reading; Johnny, Patrick's best friend and former drug dealer, now a psychoanalyst, retroactively diagnosing Eleanor via the poetry used to remember her; and Patrick, desperate for the whole thing to be over so he can get back to his bedsit and think about what it all means for his psyche. St Aubyn is so good at jumping from character to character, x-raying motivation and weakness ruthlessly and wholly. These are some of the smartest books I've ever read.
Best scene: the roundtable of characters' thoughts during the songs and readings at Eleanor's fuenral. Erasmus, obsessed with the philosophy of consciousness during a Porgy and Bess song; Nancy and Nicholas, horrified at Yeats poetry that implies there is good to be found outside of possessions; Annette, getting overcome by her own prowess in reading; Johnny, Patrick's best friend and former drug dealer, now a psychoanalyst, retroactively diagnosing Eleanor via the poetry used to remember her; and Patrick, desperate for the whole thing to be over so he can get back to his bedsit and think about what it all means for his psyche. St Aubyn is so good at jumping from character to character, x-raying motivation and weakness ruthlessly and wholly. These are some of the smartest books I've ever read.