The Fifth Sally
Daniel Keyes
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
4.07
· 14 ratings · 278 pages · Published: 22 Sep 1980
Whenever events put too much of a strain on Sally Porter, she feels a headache and a blackout coming on -- and a new character takes over. If there is a man to be fascinated, she will become Bella. If there is an intellectual problem, she will become Nola. And -- as happens in the opening scene of the novel-- if there is a rapist to be dealt with, she becomes the vicious Jinx.
It is the task of the wise and patient psychiatrist, Dr. Roger Ash -- a man who nevertheless has severe problems of his own -- to deal with this case of multiple personality and, through painstaking therapy, to try to fuse the four disparate personalities into "the fifth Sally." His struggle and near disasters become the major strand of the story.
Sybil and The Three Faces of Eve were case histories dealing with multiple personality disorder. Although based on fact, this is the first contemporary novel, to deal with the theme as fiction.