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_delaney_13 's review for:
The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion
When I bought this book, I didn’t realize grief and loss were imminent in my own life. I was probably about 40 pages in before I got that news. I thought about stopping the book, like reading it would be too much. I’m glad I didn’t.
Joan’s ability to put a feeling as bizarre as grief into words is incredible. Many have tried to make the horrible feeling make sense or mean something; Joan captures it both accurately and beautifully. I felt seen. I felt understood.
As many people do when experiencing grief, she pours over memories and dates and facts. She blames others. She blames herself. She tries to rationalize. It’s a portrait of pain created with the most beautiful paint.
For people in the throes of grief, this may be too much. It is direct and biting in its truthfulness. For those not experiencing it, it may be hard to decipher. She is thinking magically after all. It doesn’t make sense out of that context. For me though, it hit the spot. A great introduction to Didion’s work.
Joan’s ability to put a feeling as bizarre as grief into words is incredible. Many have tried to make the horrible feeling make sense or mean something; Joan captures it both accurately and beautifully. I felt seen. I felt understood.
As many people do when experiencing grief, she pours over memories and dates and facts. She blames others. She blames herself. She tries to rationalize. It’s a portrait of pain created with the most beautiful paint.
For people in the throes of grief, this may be too much. It is direct and biting in its truthfulness. For those not experiencing it, it may be hard to decipher. She is thinking magically after all. It doesn’t make sense out of that context. For me though, it hit the spot. A great introduction to Didion’s work.