A landmark in American fiction, Light in August explores Faulkner’s central theme: the nature of evil. Joe Christmas – a man doomed, deracinated and alone – wanders the Deep South in search of an identity, and a place in society.
After killing his perverted God-fearing lover, it becomes inevitable that he is pursued by a lynch-hungry mob. Yet after the sacrifice, there is new life, a determined ray of light in Faulkner’s complex and tragic world.