Book Review - The Suicide Run By William Styron

AshBooks Review for The Suicide Run by William Styron:

Most will associate William Styron with his novel about an Auschwitz survivor, Sophie’s Choice, or perhaps his memoir of depression, Darkness Visible. It should be no surprise then that recently published The Suicide Run; Five Tales of the Marine Corps, doesn’t make for cheery reading. However, where The Suicide Run differs from other military-themed books is in the incredible absence of battle – something I can’t imagine Andy McNab will take inspiration from!

Styron himself served in both World War II and the Korean War, though he never actually saw battle. In The Suicide Run collection of stories, he uses his experiences to create pressure and suspense based on the fear of battle, without ever actually stooping to create an imagined encounter. What is also marvelous about the collection is the way he manages to blend this terror with a sense of glory felt by a young man at life in the military, yet also contrast it with the guilt-ridden thoughts of a war survivor. Clearly drawing on skills he so wonderfully displayed in both Sophie’s Choice and Darkness Visible, Styron transports the reader into a mindset he knows very well already; creating a fascinating psychological insight from the same conflicts many modern writers use to simply excite their readers into turning pages. That said, the fact this is a collection of five smaller stories will put off readers looking for a proper novel.

If I was to hazard a guess at the origin of the name The Suicide Run, I would suggest it is the implication that, by going to war, you are essentially commiting suicide; even if you survive, the guilt-ridden depression that besets you is as good as death.

If you like William Styron’s other books, you might just love this one too.