Mother's milk

A "New York Times" Notable Book, "Mother's Milk" is a brilliantly stylish and witty novel by a master of modern British fiction. Widely acclaimed in the United States and the UK, "Mother's Milk" follows the Melroses, the same family featured in St. Aubyn's trilogy, "Some Hope." First we meet Robert, who provides an exceptionally droll and convincing account of being born; then Patrick, a hilariously churlish husband who has been sexually abandoned by his wife in favor of motherhood; then Mary, who's consumed by her children and an overwhelming desire not to repeat the mistakes of her own mother. All the while, St. Aubyn examines the web of false promises that entangles this once illustrious family, whose last vestige of wealth--an estate in the South of France--is about to be permanently donated by Patrick's mother to a new-age foundation. The result is captivating and unexpected.