Darkness Visible by William Styron Review

This short volume was impactful as it is succinct, it’s obvious that this come straight from the soul and I commend Styron for attempting to convey and executing his desire to express the sheer pain he endured as a result of the spiral into extreme depression he experienced in his sixties. He is a very successful author, and his experience with depression is surprisingly common amongst artists and writers such as himself as he mentions in the book. He discusses his thoughts on the affliction that is surprisingly common yet little discussed or understood by the general population with a crystal clarity. 

I’m grateful to have read this as an attempt to gain insight into the experiences of those who suffer(ed) from depression, or perhaps more aptly defined as melancholia by Styron, he reiterates that there is simply not a way for a person who has not experienced it to even comprehend the relentless mental and physical torment. He employs a lot of literary references such as Camus’ works and Dante's Inferno to support his point and message which I found engaging. I would recommend this to anyone, honest accounts of experiences with depression and mental health are more necessary than ever in our current climate.