This novel from Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing is an exploration of the debates and fears around parenthood. Provocative and uncanny, The Fifth Child is a chilling tale for our times.
Four children, a beautiful old house, the love of relatives and friends - Harriet and David Lovatt's life is a glorious hymn to domestic bliss and old-fashioned family values. But when their fifth child is born, an implacable shadow is cast over this tender idyll. The infant Ben is violent and uncontrollable.
Struggling to care for her new-born child, faced with a darkness and a strange defiance she has never known before, Harriet is deeply afraid of what, exactly, she has brought into the world …
| ISBN: | 9780586089033 |
| Publication date: | 5th November 2026 |
| Author: | Doris Lessing |
| Publisher: | 4th Estate an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 159 pages |
| Genres: |
Modern and Contemporary Fiction Narrative theme: Interior life Narrative theme: Identity / belonging Narrative theme: Social issues Thriller and Suspense Family Drama General Fiction |
This novel from Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing is an exploration of the debates and fears around parenthood. Provocative and uncanny, The Fifth Child is a chilling tale for our times.Four children, a beautiful old house, the love of relatives and friends - Harriet and David Lovatt's life is a glorious hymn to domestic bliss and old-fashioned family values.
The Fifth Child features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Narrative theme: Interior life, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Social issues, Thriller and Suspense, Family Drama, General Fiction
Paperback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. Pre-order. 5th November 2026.
The Fifth Child was written by Doris Lessing and published by 4th Estate an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
The Fifth Child has 159 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. Pre-order. 5th November 2026.