In the chillingly sharp "Dunbar," Edward St. Aubyn reimagines Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece, "King Lear," with a modern twist that cuts to the very heart of familial discord and the thirst for power. Henry Dunbar, the patriarch who once commanded a global empire, finds himself betrayed and stripped of his kingdom by his own flesh and blood. Entrapped within the sterile confines of a care home, his mind teeters between lucidity and madness, haunted by the empire that was wrenched from his grasp by his two eldest daughters, Abby and Megan, whose hunger for control knows no bounds. Yet, in his darkest hour, Dunbar's plotting escape and redemption, a testament to the indomitable human spirit's desire for freedom and reconciliation. St. Aubyn, with his characteristic wit and incisive exploration of the human condition, delves deep into the complexities of power, legacy, and forgiveness. As Dunbar's journey unfolds—from captivity to the wild freedom of the Lake District, pursued by enemies and allies alike—the narrative races towards a confrontation that is as inevitable as it is heartbreaking. Will it be his cunning daughters who reclaim him, or will Florence, the youngest and perhaps the purest of his progeny, reach him first to salvage what remains of their fractured family? "Dunbar" is not merely a retelling of a classic story; it is a contemporary examination of the bonds that tether us, the ambitions that drive us, and the love that, ultimately, may save us.