Ben, in the World (Paperback)

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Described as "one of the world's great living writers', Doris Lessing's fiction continues to compel, and surprise, her readers. In the context of Lessing's writing career, the tale of Ben, in the World, the sequel to Lessing's powerful The Fifth Child (1988), is a long, and complex, one. It goes back (at least) to 1957, and the appearance of her short story, "The eye of God in paradise" (included in The Habit of Loving). That story includes the description of a child, "a desperate, wild, suffering little creature", who bites if you get close to him. That child haunts both Mary Parrish (the protagonist of the story) and, it seems, Doris Lessing. She returns to him in The Fifth Child, a short novel dedicated to the problem of how to tell the difference of "Ben": the fifth child born to an idyllic middle-class family. Who, or what, is Ben? Beast, goblin, throwback, alien, or a "normal healthy fine baby"? Wrestling with that question--the ethical difficulty posed by the appearance of difference at the heart of "normal" life--The Fifth Child allows for a hesitation in knowing what, or how, to think about Ben. Ben, in the World pursues the theme, but with far more certainty. Now eighteen, but looking thirty-five, Ben is estranged from his family, forced to find his way in a basically hostile world: "And Ben left: he had no home in this world." By now, Lessing knows him well; the narrative voice constantly intervenes to direct the reader's response to Ben, to the people who surround him and his (sometimes unlikely) experiences in Europe and South America. The misery, and alienation, of Ben's life remains Lessing's preoccupation, offset only by the friendship of the odd individuals she depicts so skilfully--and, finally, the waywardness of Ben's quest to find people like himself. Vicky Lebeau --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
Many will recall the powerful impact The Fifth Child, Doris Lessing's 1988 novel, made on publication. Its account of idyllic marital and parental bliss irredeemably shattered by the arrival of the feral fifth child of the Lovatts made for unnerving and compulsive reading. That child, Ben, now grown to legal maturity, is the central character of this sequel, which picks up the fable at the end of the childhood where the first book ended and takes our primal, misunderstood, maladjusted teenager out into the world, where again he meets mostly with mockery, fear and incomprehension but with just enough kindness and openness to keep him afloat as his adventures take him from London to the South of France and on to South America in his restless quest for community, companionship and peace. As in Mara and Dann, Doris Lessing in this newest book returns to a plain, unadorned prose fit for fables; again, we have a childlike perspective at the heart of the book; again, the world in all its malevolence and misapprehenison swirls around at the edge, while, occasionally, a strong character steps forward to try to stake out some values and practise some good behaviour.

Again, it is one of Lessing's novels that will, I think, last most particularly as a work that imaginative teenagers of all ages will be riveted by.

8 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   5 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful story told elegantly and subtly, 18 Jun 2000 By A Customer This review is from: Ben, in the World (Hardcover) This novel is somewhat picaresque, as it follows the fortunes of Ben, in London, France and South America. Ben is an outsider, he is human and also 'some kind of genetic throwback.' There are many people who feel alienated, alone, outside, and Ben speaks for them all. At the heart of the novel is Ben's increasing sadness and desperation at finding himself alone, 'his people' are nowhere to be found. The story is elegantly and subtly written, adding to its powerful effect. The novel is an allegory, is a mirror to an often cruel world, and is extremely moving and thought-provoking. It certainly puts many other recent self-indulgent novels to shame. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   6 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful storytelling, 2 Sep 2000 By A Customer This review is from: Ben, in the World (Hardcover) An incredible book filled with emotion and intelligence. Ben feels very real, you get to know and care about him. Then life intervenes. Ben is a unique character and this book is one of the best I've read in recent years. Doris Lessing continues to write the kind of readable fiction that few other writers can produce. Intelligent, moving and important. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Ben, in the World, 27 Nov 2003 By  D. J. Harkness "DJH942" (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Superb follow-up to 'The Fifth Child'. I never realised quite how involved I had become in the plot or how much I had come to care about the central character, Ben, until the shock ending. This book really does make you think about alienation in the modern world and how society treats thos who are different. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 8 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars More enjoyable than the fifth child Doris Lessing is a great writer. One of her marks of greatness is that she can write accessible novels that are easy to understand but at the same time thought-provoking... Read more Published 4 months ago by María José García Ferrer 5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless I was looking forward to Ben's story and the epilogue to "The Fifth Child" by the same author. I have enjoyed this book even more than I had its predecessor. Read more Published 6 months ago by I LOVE BOOKS 3.0 out of 5 stars A rather disappointing sequel to "The Fifth Child" Ben is now eighteen. Broad face, delineated features, a perpetual stupid grin on his face. Most people compare him to a kind of misshapen dog. Read more Published on 9 Feb 2006 by Philippe Horak 5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling This is a strong follow-up to Doris Lessing's story "The Fifth Child". And I must say that I am so glad she wrote it, as the first book ended suddenly with few explanations, so... Read more Published on 8 Jun 2004 by Ms. Sinnet A. Weber 1.0 out of 5 stars Crude cliches from an author in terminal decline. Doris Lessing has written some fine books, but really there is nothing to be said that can possibly redeem "Ben in the World". Read more Published on 30 Mar 2001 by Mr. David R. Watson Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 8 customer reviews...

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