Book Review – The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Joan Didion’s poignant memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, is an account of her experience dealing with grief during the first year following the sudden death of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne. John and Joan had been married nearly 40 years when he suffered a fatal heart attack one evening in their New York apartment. To make a tragic event more complicated, the couple had just returned home from a visit to the hospital where their only daughter was comatose after a struggle with pneumonia. Thus, the surreal experience of dealing with bereavement was compounded for Didion by worries about her daughter’s health, and the necessity of informing her of John’s passing when she eventually regained consciousness.

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About the Author

Megan Koch

Megan Koch is a writer and bookseller based in Adelaide. She studied English and Applied Linguistics at Flinders University. She currently writes freelance exhibition, theatre, and arts reviews. Her work can be found on various platforms, including ArtsHub and Year13.