Monday, August 17, 2020

Six books on loss and longing

Karolina Waclawiak is the author of the novels How to Get into the Twin Palms, The Invaders, and Life Events.

At The Week magazine she tagged six favorite books on loss and longing. One title on the list:
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (2005).

Didion's seminal book on grief is a clear-eyed description of losing oneself after losing a loved one. In the aftermath of the death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, Didion examines grief with unflinching precision. In doing so, she provides a road map of a profound loss of control that is both revelatory and hypnotic.
Read about the other entries on the list.

The Year of Magical Thinking is among Tara Westover's top four inspirational memoirs, Mark Whitaker's six favorite memoirs, Adam Haslett's five best deathless accounts of mourning, Douglas Kennedy's top ten books about grief, and Norris Church Mailer's five best memoirs. It is a book that made a difference to Samantha Bee.

--Marshal Zeringue