Mother's Milk 
A Novel by Edward St. Aubyn (http://www.opencity.org/mmilk.html)

The new masterpiece on parenthood, marriage, and money from the highly acclaimed author of Some Hope

Celebrated English author Edward St. AubynÕs brilliant and scathingly witty family portrait examines the shifting allegiances between parents, children, husbands, and wives. The novelÕs perspective carousels between each member of the Melrose family—the same family featured in St. AubynÕs trilogy Some Hope—starting with Robert, who provides an exceptionally droll and convincing account of being born; to Patrick, a hilariously churlish husband who has been sexually abandoned by his wife in favor of motherhood; to Mary, whoÕs consumed by her children and an overwhelming desire to not repeat the mistakes of her own mother. All the while, St. Aubyn examines the web of false promises that entangle this once illustrious family, whose last vestige of wealth—an old house in the South of France—is about to be permanently donated by PatrickÕs mother to a new-age foundation.

An up-to-the-minute dissection of the mores of child-rearing, marriage, adultery, and assisted suicide, MotherÕs Milk showcases St. AubynÕs luminous and acidic prose—and his masterful ability to combine the most excruciating pain with the driest comedy. Once MotherÕs Milk is absorbed into the bloodstream of American culture, postpartum depression will never be the same again.