description: 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 scepticism, racial contrasts and the industrialisation of a rural society. But more than a novel of time and place, it is the story of a tormented family submerged in 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 - her crippled daughter Maudie, or the childish part of her husband. This extraordinarily powerful novel is the portrait of a family who, in the words of Sir Thomas Browne in his "Urn Burial", 'all lie down in darkness'.
language: English
title: Lie Down in Darkness
titlecomplete: Lie Down in Darkness
genres: 20th Century, American, Historical Fiction, Southern, Literary Fiction, Novels, Southern Gothic, Literature, Classics, Fiction
ratings_count: 3361
places: Virginia
awards: awardedAt: -568051200000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: Fiction
publisher: Random House Pod