[2] The "Lear" character of the novel, Henry Dunbar, founded a media conglomerate; St Aubyn felt someone rooted in the "permafrost of power" would make a better analogue to a king than a temporarily elected official.

[3] St Aubyn has denied the character has a basis in reality, saying he was not based on Rupert Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, or Donald Trump.

[2] St Aubyn began revisiting King Lear by watching Peter Brook's 1971 film adaptation.

[2] Sophie Gilbert's review in The Atlantic praised the novel, highlighting a perceived connection between St Aubyn's personal life and the subject matter of King Lear as well as the dialogue.

Critic Greg Zimmerman compared it less favorably to other Hogarth books, referring to it as a "solid if not spectacular entry in the...series".