Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn - 4 stars

[Joy D]

Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn - 4* - My Review

Dunbar is a modern re-telling of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Octogenarian Henry Dunbar (Lear) is the head of a global corporation who has recently rewritten his will to transfer power to his two eldest daughters, Abby (Goneril) and Megan (Regan), while disinheriting his youngest, Florence (Cordelia) due to disagreements about his business methods. As the story opens, Abby and Megan have arranged for Dunbar to be confined to an institution, purportedly due to his mental health issues. He and two others soon escape, and the storyline follows his attempt to reclaim power from his two eldest daughters while trying to evade their nefarious representatives. Florence is also looking for her father, since she wants to mend their relationship.

This book is beautifully written in St. Aubyn’s stellar style. He sets up a situation where the modern mega-corporation stands in for Lear’s kingdom. It seems an apt analogy in terms of who wields power in society. He sprinkles in humor to provide relief to the more intense content. I felt engaged by the story and it was fun to look for the parallels to Shakespeare’s original. It tackles the concept of how money and power can corrupt family relationships. I recommend it to readers who are already familiar with the tragedy of King Lear or if you are not, read the play before starting this book. As far as retellings go, this is one of the better versions I’ve read.