When Odessa Blackburn is three years old, she sees her grandmother for the last time, and so begins her story as the fifth born of eight children in a troubled family. Molested by her father, Odessa is also the sole witness to a murder he commits. Her mother guards both secrets and joins her husband in ostracizing their fifth born from the rest of her siblings. As Odessa grows, so do her troubles. She ultimately separates herself from her parents and siblings into a new reality that prompts memory and revelation. Her choices for survival provoke an outcome that will forever alter the carefully maintained lies of her childhood. Zelda Lockhart's Fifth Born is lyrically written, poignant and powerful in its exploration of how secrets can tear families apart and unravel people's lives. Set in rural Mississippi and St. Louis, Missouri, "Fifth Born" is a story of loss and redemption, as Odessa walks away from those who she believes to be her kin to discover the meaning of family.
- ISBN10 0743412664
- ISBN13 9780743412667
- Publish Date 19 August 2003 (first published 20 August 2002)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Simon & Schuster
- Imprint Washington Square Press Inc.,N.Y.
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 228
- Language English