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jacobrollins 's review for:
Blue Nights
by Joan Didion
A melancholic, yet beautifully written memoir.
I’ve read several not-so-great reviews about this book that mainly revolve around the change in her writing style in comparison to her other works, or the blatant and sometimes aggravating disconnect as a mother. Maybe a disconnect is exactly what it was, but I see this book as Joan’s realization of the importance of her role as a mother upon finding out her daughter is sick, and reflecting back on the memories where that realization should have (but didn’t necessarily) applied. It kind of feels like Joan didn’t really understand what she had or what was happening until after her daughter’s death. She admits herself that she was unprepared upon adopting her daughter and that she was more caught up in the parties, the writing, the drinking, etc., and maybe the memories she shares in this memoir are some (probably among many others) that she feels she took for granted. The repetition that Joan uses throughout the book, like the wedding flowers, indicates the constant reminders and the ultimate realization that her daughter is *actually* gone, in my opinion. Joan is adjusting to a new reality that she has to comply to, because for the first time, she’s alone. This book made me sad for her, but I don’t think she’s lost the ability to translate thoughts into beautiful literature. She is, after all, still Joan Didion.
I’ve read several not-so-great reviews about this book that mainly revolve around the change in her writing style in comparison to her other works, or the blatant and sometimes aggravating disconnect as a mother. Maybe a disconnect is exactly what it was, but I see this book as Joan’s realization of the importance of her role as a mother upon finding out her daughter is sick, and reflecting back on the memories where that realization should have (but didn’t necessarily) applied. It kind of feels like Joan didn’t really understand what she had or what was happening until after her daughter’s death. She admits herself that she was unprepared upon adopting her daughter and that she was more caught up in the parties, the writing, the drinking, etc., and maybe the memories she shares in this memoir are some (probably among many others) that she feels she took for granted. The repetition that Joan uses throughout the book, like the wedding flowers, indicates the constant reminders and the ultimate realization that her daughter is *actually* gone, in my opinion. Joan is adjusting to a new reality that she has to comply to, because for the first time, she’s alone. This book made me sad for her, but I don’t think she’s lost the ability to translate thoughts into beautiful literature. She is, after all, still Joan Didion.