I have wanted to read a Doris Lessing book for the longest time. What stopped me all this time was the intimidation factor. When an author wins a Nobel prize, something inside me shrinks a little – worried that their books would be too high-brow for me. I eventually picked up The Fifth Child because the book synopsis is pretty simple, and the cover is very striking with horror elements, making this book an apt read for the season.
Book Synopsis
Harriet and David Lovatt, parents of four children, have created an idyll of domestic bliss in defiance of the social trends of late 1960s England.
While crime and unrest surge around them, the Lovatts are certain that their old-fashioned contentment can protect them from the outside world—until their fifth baby’s birth.
Gruesomely goblin-like in appearance, insatiably hungry, abnormally strong, and violent, Ben has nothing innocent or infant-like about him.
As he grows older and more terrifying, Harriet finds she cannot love him, David cannot bring himself to touch him, and their four older children are afraid of him.
Understanding that he will never be accepted anywhere, Harriet and David are torn between their instincts as parents and their shocked reaction to this fierce and unlovable child whose existence shatters their belief in a peaceful world.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
Review of The Fifth Child
Wow! This was a deceptively simple read and easy read. I finished it within a day, but it lingered in my mind for ages afterward.
I found this book in the Horror section of my library, right next to Rosemary’s Baby. It turns out it’s pretty similar thematically to Rosemary’s Baby. Both books deal with the horrors of having a baby that defies the norm, which is different and possibly dangerous—a mother’s worst fears. Rosemary’s Baby focuses more on the pregnancy, while The Fifth Child focuses on what comes after.
The book is not outright horror; it’s just shocking. The shift in thoughts and general perceptions between the 1960s and 2019 is like day and night.
In today’s times, Harriet would probably be diagnosed with post-partum depression; her problem child, Ben, would probably have some form of autism. They would be treated, and their problems recognized. But at that time, there was nothing. Instead, Ben is branded as a monster, and Harriet is hysterical.
If this were the only talking point, this book would be just about average. But there’s so much in it; I don’t know where to start discussing it.
Harriet and David want a large family, a big house. It seems a reasonable wish until we see the pressure it puts on everybody around them and, finally, themselves. It made me reflect on how much of humankind’s misery is because of our greed and lack of self-control. Do we even recognize if we have crossed the boundaries of our endurance and tolerance?
She said to David, ‘We are being punished, that’s all.”What for?’ he demanded, already on guard because there was a tone in her voice he hated.’For presuming. For thinking we could be happy. Happy because we decided we would be.’
I thought this book was particularly pertinent in this era of mommy bloggers. I follow so many mommy bloggers with 4-5 or more children (Taza is one of the most famous), and I’ve always wondered how they manage. Who pays for it all? Who takes care of the kids? Unfortunately, the bloggers are very opaque about these challenging questions. So, I can only imagine someone in the background financing and caring for the brood. Or are these parents superhuman 😄 ?
Above all else is the question of motherhood. Harriet alternates between various attitudes towards Ben—horror and pity, sometimes mixed with love, sadness, and despair—and, of course, this impacts her mothering. The fact that she has to focus on four other children apart from him makes her situation even worse, and things start to freefall quickly.
‘The trouble is, you get used to hell,’ said Harriet. `After a day with Ben I feel as if nothing exists but him. As if nothing has ever existed. I suddenly realize I haven’t remembered the others for hours.
Lessing went on to write a sequel to The Fifth Child called Ben, In The World. I’m pretty interested in reading it and viewing the sequence of events from his perspective.
Have you read this book? Any other Doris Lessing book? Care to recommend any to me?
I personally don’t think that Ben was supposed to be seen as autistic specifically (although the thought that he had some sort of disability that his overly stressed parents whose sanity had taken a dip, perceived this as inhuman did cross my mind) if only because in the sequel novel where the narrative shifts to Ben himself has him meeting some scientists who are so fascinated by him that they put him through some tests to see if he is some sort of “throwback”. Also in this book Ben doesn’t just act strange he’s also described as looking like some sort of goblin (way harsh) which makes me think that whatever’s plaguing Ben, it isn’t mundane. Also at one point the Lovatt’s other son Paul starts acting in a disturbing way and Harriet describes this as a “normal kind of disturbing” which is kind of an oxymoron but again points to Ben being an extra special kind of… odd? For what it’s worth though I can’t help but question how reliable the Lovatt’s point of view is because Harriet is constantly describing Ben as looking like some sort goblin, alien creature thing and other characters seem to agree but when she actually sees him on TV she then describes him as looking relatively normal and wonders if he’s wearing a disguise! I tell you I came away from reading that more confused than when I started 🤷🏼♀️
I don’t think Harriet is reliable at all. She seemed to be overwhelmed and definitely some sort of mental health issue that prevented her from bonding with Ben, which in turn exacerbated some of his behavioural issues I think. I haven’t read the sequel, I should.
I’ve read all of her work. I was so selfishly upset when she died as it meant there would be no more!
I’d recommend Martha Quest and the rest of the Children of Violence series.
I really need to read her other books!