I wanted to read something unsettling for Halloween. I don't know if people consider The Fifth Child a work of horror literature, but it sure makes you feel very uncomfortable. Probably more so than any straight horror novel could have done.

The plot revolves around a dream in life. Harriet and David become a couple in the 1960s, being drawn to each other because of their rather conservative beliefs and a shared tendency towards social isolation. However, now that they found each other, they develop the strong desire to constantly surround themselves with as many people as possible. Most of all, they share a very traditional understanding of the family and want to have children, many children.

They buy a huge house and very soon thereafter the first child is on his way, and the next toddler is always right around the corner. Sure, there are worries (particularly of a financial nature), and their friends and families are almost shocked by the way they approach their dream, but for Harriet and David these early years bring mostly a pure form of joy. They are never alone in their house, and they couldn't be happier to have all their friends and family with them for Christmas and Easter, often staying with them for weeks.

Then Harriet is pregnant with the fifth child, and for the first time this really wasn't going according to plan. It's a very complicated pregnancy, but their real troubles only start after Ben is born. He is very prone to violence, completely unaffected by the love his parents try to show him, and it isn't long before his actions tear apart most bonds to friends and family. Most characters progressively lose their spirit, and soon Harriet is the only one left who still fights to admit Ben to their family.

More than anything, this is a very sad book. It is heart-wrenching to read how their dream gradually falls into pieces, and with so little motivation other than what appears to be a demonic spirit. No matter how much love Harriet invokes towards such a monster and to reestablish their dream, the forces of evil are just too strong.

I thought that this was a very interesting take on the hellion theme. There are aspects to the story that border on the supernatural, but very similar to Stephen King, it's always used to explore characters. Ben is portrayed as being unnaturally strong and he doesn't seem to be able to feel empathy or interact with other people in any comprehensible way. Towards the end of the story, Harriet comes to belief that he is actually of another species, presumably some ancient and primitive ancestor of the human race breaking through. A situation that is so hopeless that it makes you fall back on metaphysical concepts amazingly conveys the frustration that especially his mother must have felt after years in this situation.

The book really moved me in many ways. There are some scenes that are particularly gruesome (like the brief episode in a mental institution). The horror is less with graphic depictions, though, but rather in how hopeless the situation really is. I was particularly surprised at how natural their dream seemed to me. Even though it certainly isn't my own idea of what to pursue in life, there is something heartwarming about the idea of fulfilling your most fundamental desires, especially desires that are so emotional in nature. A very powerful theme.

Rating: 4/5