What Was "The Fifth Son" About?

The Fifth Son is a complex novel written by the popular writer Elie Wiesel. It was first published in the year 1983.

This novel is about the son of Reuven Tamiroff who is completely obsessed with the background of his father. He lives in New York with his father and leads a withdrawn life. His mother is ill and does not live with them.

The Boy actually misses his mother but the father forbids him to speak anything about her. So he starts making tales and stories about his past with his only friends. As he grows up, he gradually learns about his father and his terrible life in a ghetto. He restores a truth and some peace of mind to his father. But in the process also assumes his father'sl anguish and sense of total heaviness that life can
be.