Dunbar Summary
Aubyn, Edward St.

Dunbar Overview

Dunbar is a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Edward St. Aubyn chronicles the fall of Henry Dunbar, the powerful head of a global media company as he is betrayed by his two oldest daughters, Megan and Abigail, and of his escape from the nursing home they have forcibly medicated and imprisoned him in. The story recounts Dunbar’s struggle through the rural English wilderness, his descent into madness, and his reawakening when he is rescued by his youngest daughter, Florence, who he harshly disinherited for not wanting any part in his business. St. Aubyn adds a new twist to the tragedy of this tale, with Dunbar having to choose between returning to Wall Street to save his company and retiring to the countryside with Florence. The novel is constantly changing perspectives, telling the story of Dunbar's fall through both the heroes and villains. Dunbar is a thrilling drama that explores themes like greed, blindness, honesty, the natural world, aging, madness, paralysis/loss of direction, family, forgiveness, and the power of the introspective journey.