The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion

The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion

At this point, most people are familiar with The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion's attempt to come to terms with the grief she experienced following the death of her husband and near-fatal illness of their daughter in December 2003. I was also familiar with the general premise, but I was still unprepared for what awaited me. Didion's memoir is a clear analysis of what happens to someone after losing the most important person in one's world.

I had been wary going in to the book, as I am naturally suspicious of anyone who is able to profit from grief (this probably stems from "Professional Widow," a song by Tori Amos). This does not mean I belief grief should be private, swept under the rug, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with someone whose grief is able to win not only the National Book Award but also lots of money in the process. However, Didion cannot help being a successful writer, and it is natural that one should turn to writing during such a time.

I have read many reviewers which criticized Didion for "name-dropping" in the book (for example, after John's death, she had dinner with so-and-so; while driving down this street in LA she was reminded of going with John to work on so-and-so's screenplay), but to be honest, I didn't recognize a single name she mentioned, so I wasn't really bothered by it. Again, she cannot help being a successful writer and knowing other successful people.

Other reviewers didn't like her lifestyle, one which is clearly upper-class: she and her husband frequently traveled the globe: Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, and back again. However, I didn't feel she was rubbing her riches in the reader's face, as some critics have suggested; rather, Didion mentions their travels as a way of illustrating her plight: traveling almost everywhere with her husband, every major city is thus fraught with memories--is there any place on earth that will not remind her of her loss? Didion's wealth is just another reminder that money and fame do not keep tragedy at bay--we are all equal when it comes to loss.

Unfortunately, what Didion didn't know while writing the book, was that more grief was to come. Although Quintana nearly died, after a few months of recovery, it appeared she had fully recovered. This was not to be the case. Quintana died suddenly about a year following her recovery, just as this book was being published.

Illumination Factor: High. We must all face death at one time or another, and its always good to have the words of someone who suffered the same grief. However, Didion does not (in fact, cannot) offer a cure-all, a way to magically heal the pain that the death of a loved one visits on the survivor. The Year of Magical Thinking is instead one woman's way of reaching out to the world, to let other grievers know they are not alone.

In a nutshell: A work that is not altogether uplifting, The Year of Magical Thinking looks at grief head-on, and analyzes the crazy thoughts and feelings that go along with it. A book that will--unfortunately--be necessary one day.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4.5 out of 6 stars