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The third installment hews closer to the first but wasn‘t quite as razor sharp; it felt more exaggerated to me. It‘s over the top snide about the British upper class; I think if it had honed in more closely on particular characters rather than taking a bird‘s eye view of many, I would have liked it more.

Last of the original trilogy sees Patrick now off the drugs but still trying to imbue his life with some kind of meaning and struggling to make peace with the memory of his monstrous father. The ghastly Nicholas Pratt and the unspeakable Bridget make a welcome return, but the highlight of this installment is the superb portrait of Princess Margaret (bang goes the knighthood I fear Mr St Aubyn) who manages to out-snob even Nicholas. Wonderful.

The first two books in the Patrick Melrose series were so heartbreaking that I wasn‘t sure I could continue. The prose is sharp, witty, and compelling, but the subject matter of child abuse and drug addiction overwhelmed me. The new dramatization starring Benedict Cumberbatch urged me to try again. Some Hope is aptly titled. The prose is still just as sharp, and Patrick is still struggling, but hope is present.

I enjoyed Some Hope as much as I enjoyed Never Mind, the first Patrick Melrose novel. The second, Bad News, is still my favourite and that's because it's solely from Patrick's POV. I love Patrick as the narrator. Some Hope, like Never Mind, has several POVs which helps the reader get into the headspace of the wealthy and titled to fully comprehend how absurd these privileged people really are but the Patrick bits were, of course, my favourite.