The Fifth Child

During their Easter gathering in 1975, Bridget asks if Ben is a “mongol,” and Harriet tells her to use the term “Down syndrome” instead, despite privately using the outdated and now-derogatory term herself. Harriet declares that there’s nothing “wrong” with Ben. Bridget leaves and never returns. Fewer guests visit during the summer and Christmas holidays. When Ben is over a year old, he outgrows his isolation in his room and screams from his barred windows. He spends more time downstairs, but everyone avoids him. Ben strangles a dog, and later a cat, to death, and Harriet struggles to keep an eye on him. One day, Ben runs out into the street. Harriet chases after him but wishes that he would be run over. Dr. Brett disbelieves Harriet’s stories of Ben’s behavior and tells her that he is physically healthy but “hyperactive.” He disapproves of administering drugs, but Harriet secretly wants to sedate Ben. In the evenings, she locks Ben in his room and bars the door. Dorothy offers to watch Ben for a week so that the family can take a vacation without him. When they return, Dorothy is bruised and declares that Ben must be placed in an institution.