Double Control

"The cycle of novels about Patrick Melrose was the most astounding reading experience of the last decade for me," wrote Michael Chabon. Esteemed writers like David Nicholls echoed this sentiment, stating, "Edward St. Aubyn's novels about Patrick Melrose are a complete delight from beginning to end. Everyone should read them immediately!" Alan Hollinghurst commented, "Edward St. Aubyn is probably the most brilliant British author of his generation," and Alice Sebold noted, "Edward St. Aubyn is one of our greatest stylists, and his novels about Patrick Melrose are a masterpiece of 21st-century literature." Moreover, in the television series "Patrick Melrose," the leading role was brilliantly portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. In his latest novel "Double Control," St. Aubyn "addresses the most pressing issues with extraordinary ease. The book pierces and astounds to the depths of the soul, transforming serious topics—neurobiology, ecology, psychoanalysis, theology, oncology, and genetics—into an exciting fireworks display of innovative ideas... In his delightful novel, St. Aubyn, with diamond-like precision, exposes the essence of family and love, friendship and rivalry, ambition and morality" (Air Mail). Moving from London to the French Côte d'Azur, and from the backwoods of Sussex to California's Big Sur, St. Aubyn's characters explore themes of freedom and determinism, the mysteries of life and the problems of consciousness. At the same time, Frances and Olivia are madly in love with each other, while Lucy, an old friend of Olivia's, tries to build a relationship with her new boss Hunter, a virtuoso of venture investments... "Henry James, who believed that a novelist must first of all engage the reader, would be delighted to meet St. Aubyn. 'Double Control' is an emotionally convincing and intellectually captivating novel. I couldn't put it down" (Ian McEwan).