Patrick Melrose in Mother’s Milk by Edward St AubynRead about the other fathers on the list.
Edward St Aubyn’s stunning Melrose novels feature possibly the worst fictional father ever committed to the page. David Melrose is a bullying, abusive sociopath. Throughout the five book series his shadow looms large as Patrick struggles to come to terms with what his father inflicted upon him in childhood.
It is perhaps a surprise then that in Mother’s Milk (the fourth book in the series), we find Patrick has become a fairly well adjusted father himself. His two boys are at times intensely irritating and Patrick is by no means an inspirational mentor to them. But he is functional, loving and caring in a book in which the focus shifts slightly from self preservation to protection. His concern for his kids is one of the more touching elements in a series that is better known for bad parenting than good.
David Melrose made the Telegraph's list of the ten worst fathers in literature.
The Patrick Melrose series also appears among Melissa Albert's four top novels that may drive you to drink and Mickey Sumner's six best books.
--Marshal Zeringue
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