73. The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

When quiet architect David meets Harriet at a holiday party, they know they are destined to be together. The newly married couple relies on David’s wealthy father to buy a rambling house on the outskirts of London, and soon announce to their families that they would like to fill it with at least seven or eight children. They quickly have four children, and life is going very well for the Lovatt family, with large holiday dinners and their families staying for weeks on end. When Harriet becomes pregnant with their fifth child, things are dramatically different. She endures a painful pregnancy, and when Ben is born, it is clear that he is not “normal”. Over the next few years, their family slowly falls apart because of this child.

Part psychological story and part horror story, this is an emotionally strong novel from Lessing. I have read it a few times and keep going back to it because of the stark writing and powerful story telling. One of the strongest scenes in the book is when David and Harriet agree to institutionalize Ben and then Harriet changes her mind and goes to get Ben. Harriet may seem like a weak woman content to live off other people’s money and help to achieve her large family, but in the end she sacrifices her marriage and family to raise Ben herself.