Notes to John This collection is an intimate, poignant collection of 46 journal entry Joan Didion wrote between 2000 and 2001, addressed to her husband John Gregory Dunne. Published posthumously, it offers an unvarnished look at Didion’s struggles—especially her grief over the death of her daughter, Quintana, and her attempts to come to terms with both her daughter’s addiction issues and her own loss. These raw and unpolished entries, left in a filing cupboard, as if meant to found, give them an exposed sense of being private but still exposed.
This mix of first and second-person perspectives feels less like reflection and more like a conversation with Dunne. It blurs the line between personal diary and letter. Didion is an inspiration to fans like myself who find comfort and relatability in her work. Blue NightsThe book offers a more honest, in-depth look at her ongoing reckonings with love, grief, and loss. It is both a comforting and a violating intimacy, which can make reading it feel selfish. The book had me hooked, and I felt it was an important read for anyone looking to understand Didion’s world. —Jessica ChapelCommerce Writer
