Description
Dunstan Ramsay emerges from the horrors of World War I's Passchendaele as a decorated survivor, only to find himself caught between the ordinary and the extraordinary, where seemingly trivial childhood moments—a thrown snowball, a taught card trick—ripple across decades with unforeseen consequences. As he reflects on his life, Ramsay begins to recognize a mysterious, perhaps mystical influence he has wielded over those around him, blurring the line between coincidence and destiny. Robertson Davies crafts a profound meditation on the hidden forces that shape human lives, exploring how the marvelous and the mundane are inextricably intertwined. Through Ramsay's introspective narrative, the novel reveals that beneath the surface of rational existence lies a deeper reality where myth, memory, and history converge. A masterwork of psychological insight and philosophical depth, Fifth Business invites readers to reconsider the true nature of influence, fate, and what it means to be truly alive.
Available Editions
paperback
Penguin Modern Classics
Published May 30, 2002
252 pages
ISBN: 9780141181363
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Details
First Published
1970
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Fifth Business by Robertson Davies.