William Styron was 26 years old when he published this debut novel in 1951. It received a great deal of critical acclaim, and with a loud bang William Styron established himself on the literary scene. It is a debut novel that must be regarded as a masterpiece even today, one which stands up admirably to 
his later works. It is very impressive – a novel where a young man writes about deep psychological issues and demonstrates insight and reason at a level not at all expected at that age. As a writer, William Styron in my opinion compares favorably with Faulkner, Steinbeck, and Hemingway.
Among the honors bestowed on Lie Down in Darkness was the prestigious Rome Prize, awarded by the American Academy in Rome and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Lie Down in Darkness is a domestic drama. It is set in Tidewater, Virginia, in 1945. The technique employed by the young Styron is interesting, as the action in the book takes place in a single day – a somewhat tragic day, the funeral day of the young daughter of a Virginia family. Peyton Loftis, the beautiful eldest daughter of Helen and Milton Loftis, who had killed herself in New York. Styron uses flashbacks and lets the flashbacks lead up to that one day of her funeral. He pointedly and vividly provides memories that make it clear how and why the family broke apart. It is not a happy event he sets out to illuminate, nor is it a happy tale he writes.
The book is exceedingly well written and very engaging. It is also very well built up. It uses the third person perspective in very interesting and creative ways, and lets us see events from the viewpoint of a number of the people involved. Here Styron is very smart – while the book is about Peyton, for a long time we don’t get to meet her, only hear about her. To some extent he starves us – makes us really want to get her perspective. And then when he lets her loose, it’s a revelation.
Lie Down in Darkness is a book that slowly grows on you, and I had a very hard time putting it down at all for the last 100-150 pages or so. Even here, in his debut, Styron is subtle in his portrayals and writes with considerable craftsmanship and a prose which is at times almost spellbinding. A story where tragedy is followed by tragedy. A sad, yet compelling tale of disappointed love and lives heading blindly towards destruction – not wanting to see where the road was leading them.
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