Synopses & Reviews
In this novel, the South looms dark and ominous in the background with its Biblical rhetoric, its conflict between a tradition of religious fundamentalism and modern skepticism, racial contrasts and the industrialization of a rural society.
More than a novel of time and place, it is the story of a tormented family submerged infidelity and driven by a vengeful love that is blocked, hurt and perverted: Peyton Loftis, who frantically needs a husband precisely because she loves her father; the decadent Milton, whose infidelity has made his marriage no more than a stage drama; and Helen, his wife, who loves only what she can control.
Synopsis
William Styron traces the betrayals and infidelities the heritage of spite and endlessly disappointed love that afflict the members of a Southern family and that culminate in the suicide of the beautiful Peyton Loftis.
About the Author
One of the great writers of the generation succeeding that of Hemingway and Faulkner, William Styron is renowned for the elegance of his prose and his powerful moral engagement. His books include Lie Down in Darkness, The Long March, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Sophie's Choice, This Quiet Dust, and Darkness Visible. He has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the American Book Award, the Howells Medal, and the Edward MacDowell Medal.