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A review by anneejoness
A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion
4.0
To read Didion’s fiction is to experience something very different than to read Didion’s non fiction. I heard something recently that I felt rung very true, something along the lines of: fiction is a medium in which the author cannot help but cultivate one’s self in the work, one’s perspective, view points etc; while non-fiction often gives the writer a chance to take him/herself out of the work (this is not the wording that was used whatsoever). A lot of times in classes from various professors I have heard about the importance of being an objective reader in terms of the author, “separating the artist from the art”. I have ALWAYS had a tough time with this in the context of fiction, because I feel it’s almost impossible. I don’t mean to say I read constantly thinking of the author or comparing a work to the author’s life, what I mean is that it’s entirely impossible to build a story/world without involving yourself.
I mention this because I feel this is the key difference between Didion’s fiction and her non-fiction. The reason I love her non-fiction so much is its matter-a-fact, tell it like it is, honest nature; even when she writes personally this tone seeps through. This is not necessarily something absent in Joan’s fiction- actually I’d say it’s quite present- it’s just presented in a different fashion. If you have read some of her other fiction works (such as “Play it as it Lays”), you will find a lot of Joan will come out specifically in her characters and their demeanor. There is very little fuss in her novels, and her female protagonists are actually somewhat aloof yet stubborn. For example both Grace and Charlotte in this book have few strong opinions, if anything these opinions are just kept to themselves, they are strangely discreet in that while you know a fair bit about how they think (in almost a psychoanalytical manner) it seems (at least to me) we know little about the ways in which they move about the world. Of course we know to an extent, I guess what I mean is their interpersonal relationships are more muddled and murky (kinda like Maria in “Play it as it Lays”).
I love the style of Joan’s fiction, it’s odd, kinda campy, and very distinct. Her fiction work always feels almost fragmented, it carries a stream of consciousness vibe lol. I loved the character dynamics in this book, particularly Charlotte’s familial dynamics (C/L, C/W, C/M, W/M, W/L). I love how Charlotte is a character that represents both everything and nothing. She is a character that is constantly running from her past, yet living in it. I think a lot can also be said about the part motherhood plays in the book. Something I found quite peculiar about Charlotte is that she always remembers Marin only as a child (a young child at that), something I have found that really reminds me of how Joan refers to Quintana in her later works. It’s funny how Boca Grande has no history, how in a way Charlotte has no history of her own, and it isn’t until history occurs in Boca Grande that for once Charlotte chooses to stay. One line that I feel describes Charlotte perfectly, is a line from Leonard to Grace near the end that reads:
"She remembers everything," I said. "You said she re-
members everything."
"No," Leonard Douglas said. "She remembers she bled." pg. 251
Whether this aspect of Charlotte’s personality is meditated or not I can’t tell, but it certainly kept me more interested in her character. Sometimes you wonder if any solid beliefs/thoughts Charlotte actually has are simply words that came to her through her husbands, sometimes you wonder if she’s simply too unsure of herself to come up with anything else. I will end with only this, “It’s the same in the end”.
I mention this because I feel this is the key difference between Didion’s fiction and her non-fiction. The reason I love her non-fiction so much is its matter-a-fact, tell it like it is, honest nature; even when she writes personally this tone seeps through. This is not necessarily something absent in Joan’s fiction- actually I’d say it’s quite present- it’s just presented in a different fashion. If you have read some of her other fiction works (such as “Play it as it Lays”), you will find a lot of Joan will come out specifically in her characters and their demeanor. There is very little fuss in her novels, and her female protagonists are actually somewhat aloof yet stubborn. For example both Grace and Charlotte in this book have few strong opinions, if anything these opinions are just kept to themselves, they are strangely discreet in that while you know a fair bit about how they think (in almost a psychoanalytical manner) it seems (at least to me) we know little about the ways in which they move about the world. Of course we know to an extent, I guess what I mean is their interpersonal relationships are more muddled and murky (kinda like Maria in “Play it as it Lays”).
I love the style of Joan’s fiction, it’s odd, kinda campy, and very distinct. Her fiction work always feels almost fragmented, it carries a stream of consciousness vibe lol. I loved the character dynamics in this book, particularly Charlotte’s familial dynamics (C/L, C/W, C/M, W/M, W/L). I love how Charlotte is a character that represents both everything and nothing. She is a character that is constantly running from her past, yet living in it. I think a lot can also be said about the part motherhood plays in the book. Something I found quite peculiar about Charlotte is that she always remembers Marin only as a child (a young child at that), something I have found that really reminds me of how Joan refers to Quintana in her later works. It’s funny how Boca Grande has no history, how in a way Charlotte has no history of her own, and it isn’t until history occurs in Boca Grande that for once Charlotte chooses to stay. One line that I feel describes Charlotte perfectly, is a line from Leonard to Grace near the end that reads:
"She remembers everything," I said. "You said she re-
members everything."
"No," Leonard Douglas said. "She remembers she bled." pg. 251
Whether this aspect of Charlotte’s personality is meditated or not I can’t tell, but it certainly kept me more interested in her character. Sometimes you wonder if any solid beliefs/thoughts Charlotte actually has are simply words that came to her through her husbands, sometimes you wonder if she’s simply too unsure of herself to come up with anything else. I will end with only this, “It’s the same in the end”.