The Fifth Child
First edition | |
| Author | Doris Lessing |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
Publication date | 1988 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 159 |
| ISBN | 0-224-02553-8 |
| OCLC | 21411827 |
| Followed by | Ben, in the World |
The Fifth Child is a short novel by the British writer Doris Lessing, first published in the United Kingdom in 1988, and since translated into several languages. It describes the changes in the happy life of a married couple, Harriet and David Lovatt, as a consequence of the birth of Ben, their fifth child. A sequel, Ben, in the World (2000) recounts Ben's life after he has left his family.