One of the best written accounts of depression I have ever read. Styron has a writing style that exudes style and poise that seems almost counter to the smothering disease he describes through his own experiences within the memoir. If you are suffering from depression, or know someone who is, this book will open your eyes to how dehabilitating and smothering depression can be.

This book delves into the author’s struggle with debilitating depression. It was an eye-opening and interesting book.

a short description of one’s struggle with depression. it was ok

Picked this up on a whim from our therapy library at my job and glad I did. I had heard about Styron’s book but never went out of my way to read it. Now that this has been corrected I appreciated most the candidness of Styron in sharing his thoughts and feelings in his own words regarding his “descent into the maelstrom of depression”. Styron does not shy away from the reality of his experience of psychological pain and as a psychologist I can only hope to be a light on someone’s journey to recovery.

Placing this book in historical context, it probably deserves 4 or 5 stars. As one of the first mental illness memoirs of its kind, the book is a brave project. But for me, having read a countless number of illness memoirs, this memoir doesn't strike me as being particularly. . .what? Illuminating? It definitely is a scary little book, though it doesn't get particularly personal until halfway through (the first few sections feel like a project in name-dropping). I also sort of backed away from Styron's focus on The Artist as having some drive towards suicide-tendencies. Really? Do we have to go there? Styron also backdrops a lot of his past (mother's death at a young age, alcoholism, etc.) that would help contextualize his depression. Regardless, it's definitely an important text and I'm glad it exists.