The Fifth Sally

I just finished Daniel Keye’s novel, The Fifth Sally, originally published in 1980. I’ve been a Keyes fan since I taught his novella Flowers for Algernon to junior high students many years ago. Flowers for Algernon (made into a novel of the same name and then into a mediocre 1968 movie, Charly, which didn’t do it justice) made an impression on the kids. Most loved it.

The premise of Flowers for Algernon intrigued the kids: A mentally retarded man, bullied by co-workers who he thinks are his friends, becomes a genius thanks to an experimental surgical procedure. Then he loses his mental capacities again.

• The underdog becomes greater than the bullies who tormented him. He doesn’t seek revenge on them. When he reverts to his retarded state, they no longer torment him but protect him. A good lesson for all of us.
• Scientists can create super beings—beings that nature did not intend to create. Should they do this? (Flowers for Algernon was written before cloning and test tube babies.) Should humans play God?

But I’m digressing. The Fifth Sally is about Sally Porter, who suffers from multiple personality disorder. Only she doesn’t know it—she only knows that she “loses time” after she periodically blacks out, plus she can’t account for the books, art supplies, clothes, etc. in her apartment. Often confused, she doesn’t know about her other personalities: Derry, the “trace” who tries to keep things on an even keel and can communicate with the others, sensual and lascivious Bella who loves to dance; Nola, the suicidal artist and intellect; and Jinx, the vengeful and violent one.

Confused, Sally seeks help from a psychiatrist who finally diagnoses her problem and attempts to fuse the other personalities into Sally—one personality at a time. Nola is fused first to create the second Sally. Bella’s fusion results in the third Sally, etc. Problems, of course, arise with Jinx before she’s successfully fused.

Therein lies a plot problem. With all the havoc Jinx creates, all the blood she causes to flow, all the cars she dents, the cops never come after her. (Well, they chase her for a bit, but she gets away.) The book was written before DNA testing became routine, but still—Jinx left plenty of clues. Also the psychiatrist’s hypnotic regression of Jinx—back to the beginning of time!—didn’t ring true.

Despite the flaws, The Fifth Sally is still a good read. Not a great read, but a good read.

What a shame that The Fifth Sally never made it into paperback and is now out of print. I found this book last November in an antique store in downtown Chatham, and paid $1.50 for it. Money well spent!

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