Benedict Cumberbatch is lending his voice to the latest book from Edward St. Aubyn.
Cumberbatch will narrate the audiobook edition of St. Aubyn’s Parallel Lines. The hardcover edition of the book is slated for publication on June 3 by Knopf.
St. Aubyn’s novel follows a group of characters he introduced in his 2021 novel, Double Blind. The new novel focuses on Sebastian, a man being treated for schizophrenia; his twin sister, Olivia, a mother and radio producer; and Lucy, Olivia’s ailing best friend. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the novel an “elegantly arch but empathetic excursion into impending apocalypse, and some of St. Aubyn’s best work yet.”
Cumberbatch, known for his roles in films including The Imitation Game and The Power of the Dog, was the star of Patrick Melrose, a Showtime limited series based on St. Aubyn’s novels about the character, a wealthy man struggling with addiction and coming to terms with his childhood abuse. The series of books launched in 1992 with Never Mind and continued with Bad News, Some Hope, Mother’s Milk, and At Last.
Cumberbatch won critical praise for his performance as Melrose in the series, winning a British Academy Television Award and earning an Emmy nomination. The series also starred Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hugo Weaving.
Cumberbatch previously narrated St. Aubyn’s Double Blind, as well as several other books including William Golding’s The Spire and Carlo Rovelli’s The Order of Time.
The audiobook edition of Parallel Lines is scheduled for release on June 24.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
