Ben, In The World

BEN, IN THE WORLD is a sequel to THE FIFTH CHILD, which I haven’t read yet. In my opinion, however, the sequel can stand alone as a novel. Sure, had I read THE FIFTH CHILD I could have a deeper understanding of Ben Lovatt’s character. But the way the character of Ben Lovatt was written as an 18-year old in the sequel was enough for me to understand him, his actions, and his way of thinking.

Doris Lessing (2007 Nobel Prize in Literature) has created a character (Ben Lovatt) that is so hideous (almost like a primate) – a yeti. In the sequel, this creature is loosed into an equally hideous world where greed, violence and indifference are in the loom. People abuse him. People use him. People hurt him. Occasionally, there are some who show affection to him, out of pity – maybe, sympathy. All these happen while fate brings Ben from London to France, then to Brazil, then to the Andes mountains as he tries to find his place in the cruel world.

There were times that I almost cried reading the book: maybe because I also felt sympathy for Ben or maybe because I’m angry with how he’s being treated. That’s how good and affecting the writing is although the author uses only simple sentences. I didn’t want to guess how that novel would end, but when it finally ended it hit me. The last sentence sums it all up. And it makes sense.

{August 16, 2009}