There never was a mother quite like Eleanor Melrose, and there never was a funeral quite like hers, captured in the wickedly dark comedy At Last, Edward St. Aubyn’s novel of legacies lost and gained. As Eleanor’s son, Patrick, joins other family members and friends to pay final respects, a conflicting image of her emerges. For some, she was the noble heiress who gave up the grandeur of her upbringing to perform good works. For others, especially Patrick, she was an enigmatic, sometimes even heartless woman who restricted those good works to total strangers, leaving her supposed loved ones deprived. Her death is the culmination of Patrick’s contentious relationship with both his parents, and with his own destructive self-loathing. From the eulogies that ponder Eleanor’s correspondence with shamans to a rendition of “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’” on the organ (followed by a party filled with intrigue, of course), St. Aubyn delivers a hilarious portrait of one of humanity’s most mysterious transitions.

The fifth and final installment in the acclaimed Patrick Melrose novels, At Last offers an entertaining yet thought-provoking experience, even for those who have never read the previous books. We hope that the following topics will enhance your group’s discussion of this wise and witty novel.